Devotion
by Linny27
Summary: Part 3 of my Bobby/Danni saga. The case of a recent murder in DC falls into the team's lap. With it comes the return of someone from Danni's past and conflicting feelings about a dead college girl and Bobby and Danni preparing for the birth of their baby.
1. Chapter One

**Devotion**

**Chapter One**

Yawning loudly, Tara stretched behind her computer screen. The quiet of the bullpen was peaceful and despite the lateness of the hour she'd managed to get a great deal accomplished. She was sadly proud of herself as she glanced around the empty office until the feeling of pride vanished.

She was pathetic.

It was Friday night and she was still at work? Is this was her life had come down to? Avoiding all possibilities of dating the last bit of pond scum to grace the shores of the Potomac by burying herself in her work?

_Well, it's better than sitting home alone, watching TV Land until I fall asleep to 'I Love Lucy' reruns_, she concluded from within. As if that was supposed to be some sort of consolation prize!

It wouldn't be so bad if she could find a guy who enjoyed being with her and wouldn't get sick of her "overactive perkiness". _As if that was an excuse,_ she snorted in an unladylike manner—as if it really mattered.

She and Max had been broken up for months now and it had not been an amicable split. She'd felt like she'd been falling for him and he ended up pulling the rug out from underneath her Eeyore-slippered feet.

The worst part about it was that she hadn't been as devastated as she'd thought she'd be. He'd hurt her, yes, but this time she hadn't fallen asleep in tears or drowned her sorrows in a pint of Rocky Road. Of course, it had helped a great deal that Danni had been furious at him and had been able to at least get him to apologize for the things he'd said.

It was a poor attempt at an apology and it caused him to have a cup of hot coffee poured in his lap. But at least he'd made an attempt.

Right?

A heavy sigh escaped her as her monitor went black. Why did she have to be the only one to not find Mr. Right?

Danni and Bobby were happily—and, sometimes, sickeningly so—married, as were Jack and Sue. Lucy and Myles had started over the right way this time and Myles was even planning to propose on Lucy's birthday next month. And Tara only knew that because she was stowing the ring away in her desk drawer in case Lucy got into that sneaking mood she had when she knew Myles was up to something.

She felt so out of the loop. Cupid's arrows had struck true with her friends, but why was his aim so bad with her?

The longest relationship she'd had was with Stanley, but that didn't even count to her because they'd been off more than they were on, since he was never in DC more than a few weeks at a time.

Swearing off men sounded like a great idea at the moment, but once her eyes set upon the happy couples around her, she couldn't help but want what they had. That's why she'd buried herself in work. She couldn't bear to think about all of the things she was missing out on.

Pulling her coat over her shoulders, she rolled her eyes again. It wasn't just the emotional aspect she was missing, but the physical as well. The closeness, the touching, the kissing; they were the parts she missed the most.

Sure the men she dated wanted those things too, but it was usually right after she introduced herself when they figured it was appropriate for them to try to shove their tongues down her throat.

She cringed as she slung her bag over her shoulder. The last guy who did that wouldn't exactly take no for an answer and she'd had to use force to pry him away. Luckily for her, she had her Quantico training to fall back on or she would have ended up in a worse boat. All it had taken was one well-aimed knee and she'd walked away, leaving him to writhe in pain.

Served him right!

Switching off her desk lamp, she exited her home away from home. She was fishing through her pockets for her car keys, never realizing that she would need to watch where she was going. Continuing on, she walked head first into a brick wall.

At least, that's what it'd felt like.

Her keys slipped from her grasp as she stood stunned and stared at not what—but whom—she'd walked into. It hadn't been a wall at all, but a fellow agent… a handsome one at that.

Her eyes trailed over his features. He was shocked just as much as she was to find her in the hallway. A small smirk was curled at the corner of his mouth, his one nostril flaring in a surprisingly enticing manner.

A lump formed in her throat when her eyes set on his. Green like a sprig of mint looked down at her, a sparkle of humor glittering his irises. His blonde hair was styled in an unruly manner, strands sticking up in every which way. It looked like he'd just climbed out of bed and squirted a dab of hair gel into his palm before running his fingers through his hair.

"I'm sorry," he finally said when he could find his voice. He'd expected to find the corridor empty, but running into a stunning beauty like her had been well worth the trip up here. "Are you okay? No damage done?"

"Er…" Words… she needed some words to say, but she couldn't think of any. What were words again, anyway?

His lips curled into a full smile and her breath was completely taken away. This man was absolutely gorgeous!

A stupid giggle escaped her and her cheeks instantly flamed red.

Nodding dumbly, she hoped that would be a sufficient answer. She heard a squeak come from somewhere, her eyes instantly going wide in fear when his shoulders began to shake with laughter.

She was certain her face closely resembled that of a tomato, now.

"You're sure?" he asked, fighting to contain his laughter and failing. Did this stunning pixie of a blonde before him speak or did she just make those adorable incoherent squeaking noises?

Tara opened her mouth, but no sound came out as she tried to fight back against the next squeak that was ready to pass her lips. Clearing her throat, she tested her vocal chords again. "Yes, I'm fine."

Another smile graced his handsome face and her lungs refused to function properly. She couldn't remember ever seeing this one around the Hoover Building, so he must have been one of the new "special" recruits coming in fresh from Quantico. After all, she would remember seeing those eyes and that smile before.

"I'm Tara." She held her hand out tentatively, her mouth going dry when his much larger one reached out and engulfed hers. He squeezed, but not enough to hurt her.

"I'm Matt," he replied with a crooked little smile.

"You're new here, aren't you?" _Stupid question,_ she scolded herself with a roll of her eyes. But what woman could think properly in this man's presence?

"Is it that obvious?" He casually slipped his hands into the pockets of his dark slacks, but it was to hide the fact that his palms were sweating. He hadn't been with the Bureau for very long and already he'd met a beautiful woman. How lucky was he?

"Erm… It's just that I think I would remember meeting you before." Horrified at the way that sounded, she cringed. Why, oh why, would her brain and tongue not cooperate proudly so she wouldn't look like such an idiot?

Licking his lips, he fought back the blush he felt rising to the surface. "I know the feeling," he admitted as he felt the telltale heat of embarrassment creep up around the shells of his ears. Had he really just admitted that?

Tara blushed. How was she supposed to respond to that? A quirky little comment? Tell him "thank you"?

"So what are you doing here so late?" A pretty girl like her should have been having a fun night out on the town.

She sent a silent prayer heavenward for the change of topic. "I was just finishing up a few last minute details for some reports. No doubt Randy will be up bright and early Monday morning to collect whatever's due."

"Pitts, right?" he asked and he noticed her nod of acknowledgement. He'd heard all about the Vice President of Office Services from his team and how snarky the wannabe-librarian could be. "We've met." Once.

Tara smiled. Obviously the newbies out of Quantico were not so whet behind the ears that they'd allow Randy to waltz all over them. Good. "But what about you? What are you doing here so late?"

"I'm still trying to get the feel of everything. This is so different than just being a detective in New York." He looked in awe that he'd actually become part of the FBI.

"You're from New York?"

He nodded. "Born and bred."

"Wow." She was sure she'd just fallen even more in love with this man.

He studied her for a good long moment. She looked like she had a million questions running through her mind but wasn't sure which one she wanted to ask first. He felt his grin grow wider. He'd just met this Tara and already he wanted to know more about her. It had been a long time since a woman had sparked this much interested in him. Not since…

_Better to just not think about it,_ he reminded himself and pretended to look at his watch. The time registered in his mind on a five-second delay. Was it really that late already?

"Am I keeping you from something?" Tara asked and he couldn't help but notice how disappointed she sounded at that very moment.

He shook his head. "No. I just can't believe how late it is already." And yet he didn't want to go home right this moment. He wanted to stay here and talk some more with Tara.

Tara checked her own watch. "Wow. It really is late." And yet she didn't seem to mind one bit.

"Erm… I know we just met and all, but I was wondering… if you didn't have anything else planned for tonight, if you would like to grab a cup of coffee or something… with me."

Tara's smile widened with renewed vigor. "I'd like that very much," she nodded and then fished around for her car keys. Unfortunately, both pockets were empty. Frowning, she tried to remember where they'd gone. "Where…" she wondered aloud right before Matt stooped down, her key ring in hand. Blushing, she accepted it from him and slipped a finger through the ring to make sure she didn't drop them again. "Thanks."

He smiled back at her and merely shrugged. "Anytime."


	2. Chapter Two

**Devotion**

**Chapter ****Two**

"I don't care what you say, you're _not_ throwing me a birthday party," Lucy protested with earnest as she plopped down onto the cushiony softness of Myles's large, overstuffed couch. She tucked her legs underneath her and pulled a throw pillow into her lap where Myles thought it looked too tempting to ignore.

"I don't understand what's so wrong with wanting to celebrate your birthday with your friends. You usually want to have this whole big blowout with a hundred and fifty people and all I'm asking for is… ten," he explained as he lounged on the sofa with her, his head resting comfortably on the pillow in her lap.

She allowed her fingers to run through the silky softness of his blond hair, smiling when she could swear he'd given an affectionate purr. "I would just like for it to be me and you this year. I mean if everyone wants to do something at the office, that's fine. But I want to do something special… with you." She gave a playful little pout and hoped that she would win him over with her overall cuteness.

Unfortunately, she wasn't three years old and Myles wasn't her Daddy.

"I think it would be special. It's not like I'm inviting my parents or anything." They'd already been adamant on how they would not support this relationship, which he could only roll his eyes at.

It was still so difficult for him to believe that he'd once strived to be just like them. Stuffed shirts, polite small talk with people he hated, doing what was considered proper for society…

He was thankful that he'd decided to go against his parents' wishes and just listen to his heart. It beat for Lucy alone and no amount of propriety or money would ever be able to change that.

His parents would come around eventually and he was sure they would be welcomed with open arms because that was just the kind of woman Lucy was. He smiled as he looked up at her delicate beauty, emphasized by her kind, caring eyes. Words could never express how much he loved this woman.

"I know and I'm thankful for that… Can't I just want to spend my birthday alone with the man I love?" Her eyes were shining with all the love she carried for him in her heart, but there was still a bit of pain visible behind the chocolate brown sweetness.

He knew she still hadn't come to terms with Phillip and Elizabeth's dislike of her. At least, that was how she'd put it. They didn't dislike her. In fact, they thought a great deal about her. She just wasn't the sort of woman they would have chosen for their son.

Myles chuckled. "I suppose I can't argue with that… as long as you allow me to plan something extra special. Candlelight dinner, soft music, a romantic restaurant…flowers… all of it." He rose himself up onto his elbows and gazed deep into her eyes, silently telling her that her birthday would be the one day of her life she would never forget.

Lucy's cheeks felt hot under Myles steamy gaze. She was certain she was blushing deep enough that the rosy color could be clearly see on her dark complexion underneath her layer of rouge. "Well, how can I girl turn down an offer like that?" she asked, fighting to swallow the solid lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. "I suppose that means I get to go shopping for a new dress, too?" Any excuse to go shopping for new clothes was fine by her. And maybe she could get the other girls to tag along too.

Myles shoulders shook with laughter as he sunk back down into the pillow. "If you think you need to, I suppose I can't complain. I'm sure whatever you pick out will be just beautiful, princess." He removed the hand lacing through his hair and brought it to his lips where he placed light, feathery kisses upon her knuckles.

She didn't think it was possible, but her cheeks flamed even hotter and she had to avert her gaze from his to catch her sudden lack of breath. She never in a million years would have dreamed that Myles Leland could be so romantic, but he constantly dazzled her and surprised her in ways she'd never dreamed of. "Making up for lost time" was what he liked to call it and he certainly wasn't sparing a moment to make her feel loved.

And she would get the surprise of her life, along with the most special night she'd ever had when he placed the sparkling gold band with the simple, shimmering princess cut diamond on her finger with a promise to spend their lives together.

_A few more weeks,_ Myles reminded himself as her hand fit perfectly into his as their fingers intertwined.

How things had changed between the two of them. He'd royally messed up all those years ago when he'd cheated on the dark beauty who'd somehow managed to claim his heart once again over time. He still wasn't certain how it happened or when they'd officially begun dating.

The flirtation between them only increased in the past year or so and they'd had a few wonderful late night dinners together as well. Everything had jus seemed to slip properly into place and Myles could never picture the rest of his life without Lucy at his side.

That had been when he'd first realized how much she'd won him over and the most entertaining part of it all was that she hadn't even realized it herself!

"I love you Lucy," he whispered as he stared, unblinkingly up at her. He didn't want her to ever doubt his true feelings for her.

Gently caressing the roughness of his chin with the softness of her fingertips, she gazed down at him with the same amount of love in her eyes. "I love you too," she whispered and leaned down to cover his lips with her own.


	3. Chapter Three

**Devotion**

**Chapter ****Three**

A comfortable fire blazed with life in the fireplace situated in the corner of the living room. Levi was stretched out at the hearth, welcoming the warmth and comfort of the burning wood. The scent and the feel were comforting to the dog's old bones and he yawned with contentment.

Of course this peaceful serenity _would_ be short-lived.

A grumbling moan escaped him when he heard the familiar _click-click-click_ of toenails dancing upon the hardwood floor, the familiar overeager panting reaching his ears before He invaded this doggy sanctuary. He raised his head just to glance around the room as the clicking faded into the distance. Lowering his head, Levi let out a huff of frustration.

He was too old to puppy sit.

He wasn't as young as he used to be and if Sue thought he would willingly keep his eyes on the newest member of the Hudson clan when he could be lounging comfortably in front of the fireplace, she'd better think again. Besides, that pup was just a nuisance.

The clicking had stopped. Quiet once took hold of the house and he allowed himself to close his eyes and relax. He never heard the shadow approach, nor did he catch a whiff of the intruder's scent before it lunged at him and caught him by the scruff of the neck with its teeth.

Jack chose just that moment to enter the living room to bear witness to the attack. He gave a loud reprimand to the youth and pup removed his teeth from Levi's neck. Frowning down at the miniature version of his favorite canine, he crosses his arms over his chest. "We've had this conversation already, Junior," he scolded.

The young retriever lowered his head, reaching up to cover his nose with his paw. He gave an innocent whimper and looked up at his master, hopeful not to end up locked in the laundry room again like he did the last time he'd just wanted to play. How was he supposed to know that the shiny things on the coffee table were breakable?

Sighing heavily, Jack shook his head with a roll of his eyes. He was lost way too easily to those puppy dog eyes and had to give in. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." He looked toward Levi's lounging form and Junior instantly got the message. He padded over to his doggy mentor and gave a gentle nudge to the older dog's nose. He received a gentle pawing a thank you before he ran off to find something better to occupy his time. If Levi wasn't willing to play with him, maybe he could find something else to do.

Jack chuckled as he looked at Levi. The dog was staring back at him as if it was all his fault for letting the little rapscallion into their lives. He held up his hands in defense, knowing that the stray was rubbing off on all of them.

Sue hadn't been so willing to adopt a new hearing dog so soon, especially when Levi was still able to do his job. But once Junior entered their lives, she just couldn't turn him away. Especially when he looked the exact way she'd always pictured Levi to appear when he was a puppy.

The resemblance was uncanny.

Unfortunately, that dog was more trouble than Levi had ever been, constantly getting into things he shouldn't and still a little overeager to show his humans how much he'd been learning as a service-dog-in-training.

He'd pushed Jack into a flowerbed once when his cell phone had rung. The poor begonias hadn't been the same since.

"Jack?" Sue called from the kitchen and he was instantly reminded why he'd made this little jaunt into the living room. Picking up the dirty dinner plates from the coffee table, he stacked them in one hand and picked up the almost empty wine glasses in his other as he made his way back to the kitchen.

He smiled as he entered the kitchen. Sue's back was to him as she busied herself with washing the dishes, unaware that his eyes were upon her. He allowed them to trail down her body, taking in every inch of her and saving it into his memory bank.

Starting at the top of her head, they stared at the glistening straw strands of hair that she'd hastily tied up in a ponytail to keep them from getting wet. She always looked so much more distinguished with her hair up, but he absolutely loved it when it was down. She'd worn it that way for their wedding just because she knew he'd enjoy it and also be allowed to run his fingers through the golden tendrils all night long.

He loved to run his fingers through its silky softness, reveling in the way the tresses tickled his palms and fingers. It was the softest thing he'd ever felt in his entire life and it smelled so sweet and inviting. Some night when she was asleep, he would find himself just laying there wit her in his arms and smell her hair, committing it to memory with everything else he loved about this woman.

He tongue darted out to wet his lips as his eyes lazily traveled lower. The muscles of her back moved as she scrubbed at the stubborn stain and that made her hips away which directed his gaze even lower. Her hips formed delicate swells upon her lower half and made her bottom look absolutely… perky.

He grinned wolfishly.

He felt a familiar stirring deep within as he continued to stare. Her soft curves fit so well together with his hard angles and the music they made together could only be considered the perfect sonata. Making love to Sue was never going to be a chore, he thought. Not when she was so eager to learn what pleased him and he doing the same for her when it was all so new and exciting for her.

"You know, these dishes aren't going to wash themselves," she said as she set down the dish rag she was using to scrub with and moved the dish in her hand to the drying rack.

His brow furrowed in confusion. He hadn't done anything to make her aware of his presence and yet she still knew. He rolled his eyes at the thought. Of course she would know he was there.

Turning with her arms crossed over her chest, Sue tried to look sternly at her husband, but there was still a glint of humor in her eyes. A lopsided grin curled at the corner of his lips. "How did you know I was here?" Sometimes it was almost as if she could read his mind and that only made his smile grow wider. In fact, he hoped she _could_ read his mind at that very moment.

Washing dishes was certainly not clouding his thoughts.

"I saw your reflection in the window." That was a knock down to his ego, but only slightly. Leaning back, she rested her hands on the edge of the counter.

Taking the dirty dishes over to the sink, Jack reached around her to put them in the still sudsy water and couldn't resist fighting the evil thought that came to mind. Scooping up a bit of the suds, he brushed them onto the tip of her nose. He chuckled as she wrinkled it, the tiny bubbles tickling her.

Leaning down, he lightly kissed her. It was a gentle kiss, yet when Jack kissed her, Sue never wanted him to pull away. She groaned in protest when she felt the pressure against her mouth ease and him beginning to pull away.

"How about we worry about the dishes later?" he asked as he reached up, his fingertips lightly dancing around the collar of her blouse. His digits were dangerously close to the deep V where both the buttons and his journey to Heaven began.

She shivered in his touch and her eyes fluttered. They wanted to close, but she couldn't stop staring up at him, watching the boyish glint in his eyes as his lower lip rested between his teeth.

"What did you have in mind?" she practically purred into his ear.

Jack groaned loudly. Her voice was a husky timbre and he felt those familiar stirrings once more. Unable to fight himself anymore, he captured her lips, gently kneading the supple flesh with his own. His teeth gently nipped and his tongue darted out to soothe as he moved even closer to her.

He groaned again as he felt the gentle swells of her hips rest against his, their bodies completely aligned together with barely a centimeter of space between them. He didn't hesitate after that and neither did she.

She leaned into him, one hand snaking up to bring his lips even closer. Hers parted and his tongue darted through the gap where it met hers. She moaned into his mouth as the muscles wrestled against each other in a slow, steady rhythm. Her other hand wrapped around his waist and slipped underneath his shirt to feel the strong muscles of his back ripple as he touched her in the ways only a lover could.

While her hands were still timid, his didn't falter. Taking the lead they grabbed and groped, but gently enough not to hurt or startle her. Making love was still a new experience for her in so many ways and he planned to make every experience worthwhile and one that she would never forget while in his arms.

His tongue slipped away from her as he pulled away. A wide, devilish grin spread upon his lips as he admired the unconscious work of his hands. Four buttons were undone on her blouse and she was giving him a glimpse of the lacy pink garment she was wearing underneath.

She blushed under his scrutiny, still not used to being stared at in such a way… and yet with Jack, it felt very liberating and exciting. For the first time in her life, she was coming completely out of her shell and it was all because of this man.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered once his eyes connected with hers. Dark chocolate and hazelnut met in a heated connection. Gently cupping her cheek, he lightly ran his thumb over the soft flesh and smiling when she willingly leaned into him.

"You make me feel beautiful," she replied, not certain how her voice sounded, but she watched as his eyes darkened another shade. She trembled at the sight.

"I love you."

"I love you too." Her tongue lightly flicked out of her lips and she felt his chest rumble in response. Gazing up at him, she took in a deep breath and said, "Make love to me, Jack."

He offered her a little smirk. "You're sure?" He was more than willing to follow her order, but he wanted to make certain it was what she really wanted before he converted into his caveman-like self and ravished her until long into the morning.

She nodded, her eyes begging slightly. "Please?"

Desire hit him like an eighteen-wheeler truck. That one word was all the incentive he needed to pick her up into his arms and carry her off to their bedroom. He paused at the top of the stairs and lost himself in a sweet caress of his lips against hers before continuing on.

Once he got to the bedroom, he set her down gently on the before he loved her, wholly and complete as her husband, her lover and her best friend.


	4. Chapter Four

**Devotion**

**Chapter ****Four**

It dangled just out of reach. Its sweet decadence danced before her eyes, taunting her as she reached out to grab it with her teeth… and missed. It was still a little too far out of reach. She snorted in frustration as she sunk back into the soft cushions of their large sectional sofa. "Stop it."

He smiled as innocently as possible, but there was still a familiar teasing ember to his tone. "Stop what?"

"You're moving it."

"I am not. You're just missing it." She rolled her eyes at him and laid her head back upon his firm chest. "C'mon, try again," he whispered gently in her ear. He noticed how her eyes fluttered closed and her soft, feminine body curled more into him.

He didn't hesitate to tighten his grip around her, enjoying the feeling of her curves pressing into him. And through he was enjoying it, the arm holding the piece of fruit was tiring. There would be time for touching and so many other things after she claimed it.

He nudged her gently with his shoulder to gain her attention and waiting for her eyes to open again.

Her eyelids flickered open and her crystal blue orbs stared up at the ceiling of their living room and the cherry dangling just out of reach of her awaiting mouth. "Don't move it this time." She felt a chuckle rumble through him and he squeezed her side softly with his free hand.

"Okay, Luv. I won't move it." Holding the cherry above her, he watched at the whipped cream began to collect at the bottom of the sweet berry, practically ready to drip down upon her awaiting lips.

She eyed him skeptically for only a second before she reached out once again. Her tongue gently lapped at the cream as her lips wrapped around the piece of fruit and successfully pulled it from his grasp. Triumphantly plucking the stem off, she smiled at him.

"Good?" he asked as his grin began to grow wider and his heart began to beat just a little bit faster after having just witnessed that display.

She nodded and turned her to face him. "Delicious. Wanna taste?" One of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows arched in question and a saucy smile curled at the corners of her mouth.

He didn't need to be asked twice. With his dimples boring into his cheeks at the sight of the slight residue of the whipped topping on her top lip, he leaned in. He brushed her lips ever so lightly with his, using his tongue to expertly clean the supple and delectable flesh. She sighed against him, her right hand reaching up to his shoulder to pull herself even closer. "Yum," he whispered against her. The taste of the maraschino cherry lingered on his lips and he reached for the spoon again.

He scooped up a small bit of the homemade sundae and raised it to his lips as they both relaxed back into the sofa. He scooped up a bit more and fed it to her. "This was nice, Luv." A quiet dinner for just the two of them and dessert in front of a nice cozy fire; these nights were rare so when they had the opportunity, they didn't waste them.

Danni shivered as the soft wisps of his breath danced upon the flesh of her ear. "I know. It's been a while since we've been able to do this. Tonight, there are no cases to worry about, no functions either of us are obligated to attend… it's just us. I like it."

Bobby smiled as he used the arm wrapped around her to pull her to pull her closer. "Me too." He scooped up a bit more ice cream from the dish that lay between them and raised it to his mouth. He didn't notice the small amount ready to drip off until it was too late. The cold confection dripped off and onto the bare expanse of chest he'd made visible earlier when he'd removed his tie. He hisses as cold and warm collided, sending a shiver racing down his spine.

She chuckled and before he was able to wipe it off with a napkin. Danni was already there. Another shiver raced through him—this time one of pure bliss—as she gently lapped it up with the heat of her tongue. Her lips suckled and her teeth lightly marked him with a score of heat when she decided she was finished with dessert and wanted to move onto something much more appetizing.

She stared up at him, a smile gracing her lips as his green eyes closed and a groan rumbled from deep within his chest. She gently nipped at the juncture where his neck joined his shoulder and her names escaped his lips on a whisper.

"Say it, Bobby," she pleaded in a husky voice as her lips and teeth continued to wreak havoc upon his chest. "You know I love it when you say it."

Her lips traveled up the length of his neck until she found his earlobe. Her hot breath danced across his flesh, her tongue darting out to taste him.

Bobby groaned, "I love you, Danni."

She pulled back to grace him with a bright smile and he reached out to her, his fingertips grazing her cheek ever so lightly. She trembled beside him and he leaned forward to chase the chill away. His lips were gentle, but spared no heat and passion for the woman lying in his arms. All it took was one smile from her to set his sense ablaze and her touch only sent him farther into the inferno.

He shifted underneath her so she lay on top of him. Her legs hooked around his in a familiar and comfortable position as his free hand wrapped securely around her waist and held her in place.

"I love you too, Koala Boy," she murmured against his lips before delving deeper into the sweet abyss of love he willingly offered.

Her lips were just as sweet and familiar to him as they eagerly searched for the response she was looking for. Her tongue was bold as it brushed against his lower lip, seeking the access it craved.

His breath caught in his throat as another groan of pleasure rumbled through his entire body. One of his strong hands now tangled in her soft locks while the other trailed agonizingly slow down the smoothness of her arms, bare to him by the short sleeves of her white blouse. It paused for only a brief second as she trembled in his embrace before continuing its unhurried torture. The hand snaked itself around her waist once again, this time to pull her body as intimately close as possible through the multiple layers of bothersome clothes.

Her soft feminine curves pressed firmly against the hard planes of his chest, causing him to feel every gentle dip and swell of her body. She shifted slightly and he groaned. Images of Danni writhing in pleasure underneath him as he claimed her as his in their bed flashed through his mind. He could distantly hear the faint echoes of her calling out his name as he took her over the edge of passion and into the planes of ecstasy, the sheer cotton sheets surrounding them tangled around their bodies and damp with sweat.

He groaned again as he pulled his lips from hers.

"Bobby,' she breathed wantonly as her fingernails lightly raked down his chest, lowering her lips back to his. Her tongue slipped between his lips and sensually moved against his in a matched rhythm.

And even lowered groan escaped him, but he didn't dare move away this time. She felt so deliciously naughty against him that he just couldn't get enough. His entire body was on fire and he could feel her getting caught in the blaze of their love as well. And still it wasn't enough.

The hand at her waist slowly moved up underneath the fabric of her blouse, his fingertips dancing upon her lower back before it changed direction and instead moved lower to cup her rear.

She groaned into him as the soft swells of her hips fit perfectly against the hard angles of his own.

At this moment, making love to her was all that was on his mind.

His body was aching to roll them over and let him hover over her gorgeous form as he made quick work of the tiny buttons lining the front of her blouse. Her chest strained against them, almost forcing them to pop free of their holes of their own accord. More images of tangled sheets, cries of passion, and sweat-covered flesh forced his tongue to wrestle more fiercely against hers and his hands to grope restlessly at her supple curves.

Danni was beginning to see stars as oxygen became lax. Her lungs burned for air and though she would love for Bobby to just continue his onslaught, she needed to pull away.

He groaned when she did and only tried to draw her back in, but Danni wasn't certain she could handle any more at the moment.

"Easy boy," she chuckled as she sat up if only to put some distance between their lips. Both of them were panting, their need for oxygen obvious, but by the smoldering look in her husband's eyes, his need was for something else entirely and she was very eager to give it to him.

He leaned up on his elbows and stared up at her in confusion. "Something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No. I just need a minute." She unconsciously licked her scorched and swollen lips as her breaths continued to come in short beats.

Bobby groaned and couldn't resist allowing his hands to run a lazy course up her legs, giving her rear a loving caress before continuing on to her hips. He paused there for a moment as he studied the way they rested. He'd always adored her slender waist and enjoyed the way he could grip her hips, but there was something different now, something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Taking her lower lip between her teeth, Danni arched slightly against him. "You're not making matter any easier, you know?"

At first, he didn't understand what he was doing, until she took her hands and lightly placed them over his. His fingers had slipped underneath the barrier of her blouse and began to lightly dance upon the flesh of her waist. Forcing himself to behave, he apologized. "But can I help it if all I want to do is touch you?"

Danni blushed. She knew he wanted to do more than just touching and she would be lying if she said she didn't want the same. "I suppose not." She cleared her throat and out of habit pulled at the hem of her shirt to keep it from riding up. "But, do you think you could hold off long enough so I can tell you something?" Her eyes sparkled with love as she smiled down at him. It was a sparkle Bobby had only seen a few times since he'd known her.

It was a happy sparkle; a very happy sparkle.

He arched an eyebrow in interest. "I suppose I can behave… for at least a minute or two." He chuckled as she rolled her eyes at him. "What do you have to tell me?"

Apprehension quickly took hold of her. The moment of truth had finally come and now she couldn't believe it was already here. She took in a deep, steadying breath and blew it out slowly. "Well, you know how I had that meeting that I just couldn't miss this afternoon?" He nodded. He'd been disappointed that they couldn't go out for lunch today, but it was just something she couldn't get out of. Besides, it wasn't like he'd never canceled on her. These things just came up. "Well, it wasn't exactly the type of meeting you're thinking about." She tried to swallow passed the lump that suddenly formed in her throat at the look of curiosity that appeared on his face. "I… I went to… um, see Doctor Reynolds today."

Bobby suddenly felt like a bucket of ice water had just been dumped on him. "Why?"

She picked off a tiny ball of fuzz from the front of his shirt, but only because she needed the concentrate on something else besides the terrified expression that had crossed her husband's face. She lifted her shoulders in a half-hearted shrug. "Well, I called her this morning after I woke up sick again. She told me that she had an opening this afternoon and that it would probably be best if I went to see her." She frowned and wished she could erase the pained look on his face. She could tell he was upset because she hadn't asked him to go along with her.

Powerful emotions clenched his throat tightly, making him force his words out in a strained voice. "What did she say?"

A shy smile curled Danni's lips upward as she continued to pick unconsciously at one of his shirt buttons. She knew Bobby had been worried about her all week, but no more so than he was this morning when they were just about to step out the door. She'd been forced to make an immediate U-turn in the foyer and run to the closest bathroom, which was thankfully set just underneath the staircase.

"She said that I'm healthy and what I'm feeling is very normal."

He stared at her for a long moment as he tried to decipher what she was trying to tell him. What kind of quack doctor would tell his wife that tossing her cookies every morning was normal? How could-

His eyes shot up to meet hers, his green eyes wide with shock. Forcing himself upward, he held on tight to her waist to make sure she wouldn't tumble off of him. "Luv, what are you telling me?" He just couldn't keep his smile at bay. If he'd understood her correctly, Danni was just about to give him the best news of his entire life!

A tear slowly began to trickle down her cheek and he reached up to tenderly wipe it away. That was the smile she'd been hoping to see. "I'm pregnant."

His lips instantly found hers. With this kiss, he poured out all of the happiness and joy in his heart at this revelation. A baby! They were having a baby!

"How?" he asked when he suddenly pulled away from her, breathless.

Despite her confusion caused by his question—not to mention her desire-addled senses—Danni laughed. She understood the fact that having a baby was new to him, but he should have at least understood the basics. "Bobby, if you don't know how this happened, then we have a problem bigger than what color we should paint the nursery."

It took him a moment to realize what she was talking about. "What?" Oh, no. _That _part I understand very well, not to mention enjoy it." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and kissed her for emphasis. His entire body shook with laughter as she blushed a beautiful shade of red. "I just thought we were taking precaution." Not that he wasn't happy. This was the best news he ever could have received.

"We are… well, we _were_," she tried to explain, but he didn't seem to completely understand. "I'd been having a few side effects to the pill I was taking, so Dr. Reynolds told me to stop taking them and she would write me a new script."

Holding her close, Bobby watched as the slightest bit of guilt washed over her and he couldn't help but wonder why. "And?" he pressed.

She shrugged noncommittally. "Work was crazy and we were working on buying this house. My appointments kept getting pushed back. Then she had this conference to go to. That was around the time I go selected for the program. After that, everything became twice as hectic while I tried to find my—at the time—temporary replacement and deal with the caseload on top of that." She got a headache just thinking about those crazy few months and there was still more to it. "Then my training…" She cut herself off, figuring he'd gotten the picture. "Anyway, long story short…"

"Too late," he muttered, jokingly.

"Long story short," she repeated herself with a smile and a poke to his chest, "I hadn't gotten the chance to see her until this afternoon."

Bobby understood all too well. That had not been an easy time for either of them. D had received his promotion around the same time, so seeing as the team had been down one man everyone had taken on extra work until his replacement arrived.

He didn't say anything for a moment. Danni still looked guilty and he knew he couldn't have that. Reaching up, he gently rubbed away the worry lines that had cropped up on her forehead with his thumb. "Well, I said it was pointless from the beginning, didn't I?"

She nodded and rolled her eyes at him. "How many did you say you wanted again? Enough for a rugby team?"

He shrugged. "A bloke can dream, can't he?"

"Yeah, well, you'd better keep at it, then."

A mischievous shade drew over his eyes as his hands began to rub at the tension in her back. She instantly melted into his touch. "Well, if you insist." Leaning forward, he brushed his lips against the bare flesh of her collarbone. They were soon replaced by teeth and tongue and that, along with the dance his fingers were playing on her back made every little insignificant worry float away.

"What were we talking about again?" she asked on a sigh.

His breath danced across her neck with a chuckle. He enjoyed the effect he always seemed to have on her. "I was just about to ask how long we have to prepare."

She smiled as he rested his head upon her shoulder, one of his hands sliding around to her front to touch the still non-existent bump. "A while. I'm only two months along."

He lifted his head and looked at her suggestively. "So, tonight's not any of vital importance, then?" She shook her head, knowing exactly where his mind was heading. "All right, then." Taking a firm hold of her, he got to his feet, chuckling at her squeal of surprise. She wrapped her legs around his waist and clung to him for dear life. "Seems like I have a date with the mother of my child." His heart simply sang at the thought.

Danni's smile widened as she leaned her forehead upon his. "I like the sound of that."

"Me too," he grinned and forgetting the dirty dishes still sitting on the coffee tab le, he carried her upstairs, eager to love her as much as she loved him.


	5. Chapter Five

**Devotion**

**Chapter Five**

_**Three Months Later**_

It was a crisp spring evening; too warm for a heavy jacket but too cold to just walk around in a t-shirt. Amy was glad she'd opted for her favorite light blue fleece hoodie instead of just a light jacket. Spring had just begun, which meant there was still a chill in the air, but even as she tried to ignore her shivering body, she still found it to be a beautiful night. And on top of that, she was sharing it with a very wonderful man; the most wonderful man in the world—her husband.

She smiled as she leaned into him, his one arm automatically wrapping around her shoulder while his other held on tightly to the black leather leash. Mac and Fritz were in a playful mood tonight, because they no longer had to be cooped up in the house and were now allowed to run free. As soon as Nick let them off the leash, that is.

Both humans chuckled as their "children" urged to go off and play, which they finally allowed when they found the perfect clearing to send them off to romp together. The brothers happily wrestled, paws going up in the air and teeth playfully nipping at the scruffs of necks. The newlyweds watched, laughing at the antics of the two Boxer brothers and enjoying this peaceful time.

Finally, they were allowed to just sit back and enjoy themselves. The winter had been terribly long and they hadn't had the chance to take their boys for a good hearty play date since the snow first began to fall, though they did enjoy a good romp through the snow when it first began to lie. Their lives were busy and they never really got the chance to enjoy moments like this together. He was a CPA for a fortune 500 company and she was an elementary school teacher. Time together was sparse in their short six months of marital bliss. Times like this were sacred.

Leaning back on the nearest bench, Amy curled into the crook of Nick's arm and just let herself enjoy the moment with him. The silence between them was calm and serene; almost soothing. Then they heard Mac's frantic barks as Fritz wandered back over to collect the happy couple. His tail was tucked between his legs and his ears were flat against his head as he let out a heart-wrenching whimper. No longer were the two playing a game or looking for attention. This was serious and Nick got up to find out what was wrong, leaving Amy to stay where she was with a protective precept.

At first her mouth opened to protest, but with one final cold glance from her husband, she roped in Fritz, pulling him close as Nick went to look for Mac. Her fingers lightly grazed over his muzzle which she found to be wet and sticky. Removing a tissue from inside her pocket, she gently wiped away the moisture, scolding the dog mentally for digging into something he probably shouldn't have. She was shocked when the white tissue came back stained red.

Mac was half-buried through a brush of trees. All he could see was the rapidly-swishing rear end of the animal as he continued to bark his findings to his humans. Nick tried calling Mac out of the bush, but the dog didn't comply. In fact, he only pushed himself farther into the brambles until his collar became stuck.

"Come here, you goofball," Nick chuckled as he successfully released the Boxer from his trap and pulled him from the growth. He was about to pull himself from the leafage as well as a foul odor caught his attention. Parting the branches of an overhanging tree, he took a step forward, noting how his foot seemed to sink farther into the soil as he did so. He touched the sole of his boot, bringing his fingers up to his line of vision to see a red stain gracing his fingertips, a foul metallic odor lingering as well.

He felt the bile instantly rise in his chest, but he dared to take another step within the unknown darkness. The toe of his boot hit something solid. He was afraid to look down, because he knew what he would find when he did. Closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath he angled his head for a closer look.

"Babe?"

He practically jumped right out of his skin when he heard the familiar term of endearment come from behind him. Clutching his chest, he turned to look into the frightened eyes of his wife. Her skin was pale and she looked like she was going to be ill. "What's wrong?" She didn't say anything as she lifted the tissue clutched in her grasp into view. On the white sheet, she showed him the red stain, as deep in color as the one that graced his finger tips. "Call the police," he ordered and she didn't hesitate to comply when her cell phone instantly appeared in her hand.

Taking in another deep breath to calm the erratic beating of his heart, Nick finally turned and looked down to see what his foot had hit. He swallowed hard, keeping whatever might venture forth from his stomach inside as he looked down into a pair of lifeless green eyes.


	6. Chapter Six

**Devotion**

**Chapter Six**

"So, I was thinking… Why don't we try that new place on L Street for lunch today?" Lucy suggested as she leaned against the side of her desk, a bunch of folders cradled against her lap and her two and a half carat diamond engagement ring glistening under the fluorescent lighting.

"You mean 'Marcos'?" Sue asked, eagerly. The place had opened a few months ago and she'd wanted to go ever since. "Sounds good to me." Plus, she could use an all-girls afternoon. "What about you, Tara? Any plans?"

Tara's head appeared over the top of her monitor. "Me?"

"Yeah," Lucy replied with a smirk. "Or are you going out with that new boyfriend of yours? Again." She winked conspiratorially to Sue who, she was sure, was just as eager to hear about Tara's new beau.

The techie rolled her eyes and stood up from her desk. "He's not my boyfriend," she argued, though despite the conviction in her tone, she knew her friends wouldn't believe it. Picking up her mug, she walked over to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup. "We're just sort of seeing each other. It's nothing serious." She shrugged and took a sip of the hot, black liquid.

"So, is that why we haven't met him?" Sue asked. She understood how unlucky in love Tara could be, but whoever this guy was and whatever their arrangements, she didn't think she'd ever seen her friend so happy.

"Yes… No…. I don't know. He's busy."

"But, never too busy to take you out to lunch," the rotor reminded her with that familiar matchmaking grin on her face. She could smell love in the air for Tara.

"We mostly just stop down at the deli for sandwiches." It wasn't really anything big.

"Hey, a date's a date, right Sue?" The analyst merely nodded, seeing as though she was sort of the expert on the subject. That was partially the reason why she and Jack married so quickly. Other than the fact that they'd both believed they'd wasted enough time.

Tara rolled her eyes again and laughed to herself. She hated to admit it, but they were right. Matt was a great guy and she actually felt herself falling for him. But that was the problem. When she fell, she usually fell hard and she didn't exactly know where she stood on his scale.

Did he feel the same about her or would this end up in heartbreak just like the last one?

Did she even make his list?

"I hope so," she muttered to herself and blushed when she saw Sue and Lucy's confused expressions and realized she'd just said that part out loud. "Anyway, is that the place with the Mexican salad buffet?" She needed to get this conversation back on the right track. Both of her friends nodded in confirmation. "Count me in, then. He's busy for lunch today and I've been craving a turkey taco salad."

They accepted it at that, but she had the feeling that the interrogation was just beginning. Sighing heavily, she moved back over to her desk and took a seat as Bobby and Danni were just coming in.

"Sorry we're late," Danni apologized as she removed her coat and hung it up on the hook beside D's former desk; the one that now belonged to her. "Morning sickness." Bobby took off his jacket and hung it up before silently walking over to the coffee machine for some much needed caffeine.

Lucy cringed. "You know, that's the one part of pregnancy I am not looking forward to."

"Tell me about. Fortunately, mine stopped a week and a half ago." She giggled as she looked over at her husband who was trying to avoid the conversation altogether.

Bobby smiled sarcastically at her as he walked back to his desk, feeling eyes staring at him the entire time. "I already told you, it was not morning sickness. I just had an upset stomach." He tried to ignore the sniggers coming from the other women in the room and shot a glare at Myles who was on the phone and trying to hide his smile behind the receiver.

"Whatever you say, luv." She placed a kiss on his cheek on her way to grab a donut from the Krispy Kreme box calling to her from across the room. Resting her hand upon the gentle swell of her belly, she lifted the sweet to her mouth and took a bite. A moan of ecstasy passed through her lips the moment it touched her taste buds.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Bobby," Tara tried to reassure him. "Lots of men experience the same symptoms as their wives when they're pregnant."

"Although, if he starts getting cravings for sardines, I'd start worrying," Lucy quipped and tried to hide her smile behind one of the folders in her hands.

"Yuk it up," he warned as he pulled out his chair and took a seat.

"I actually think it's kind of sweet," Sue said as she rested her chin in her hand. "It just shows how much he loves you." She smiled as she imagined what it would be like when she and Jack were ready to have a baby.

Seeing the red tint creeping up around Bobby's ears, Danni decided to change the subject and take the heat off of him. "Where's Jack?" She tore off a piece of her donut and popped it into her mouth. She offered the rest to Bobby and when he shook his head, she "accidentally" dropped it at her feet where Levi had been drooling over the tasty morsel. He quickly wolfed it down, leaving nothing behind.

Myles was the one to answer that question as he hung up the phone. "Getting briefed by D on a new case." He leaned back in his chair and pointed to the phone. "That was him checking in to see if everyone had arrived."

Bobby groaned. So that means Sparky had heard everything that they were just talking about. Oh, they were never going to let this one go, he was sure. "What's up?" he asked, trying to ignore the heat of embarrassment that was flooding his face again.

Harvard shook his head. "He didn't say, but whatever it is, he didn't sound happy."

They didn't have long to wait. In ten short minutes, Jack was walking through the door, D following behind him. Both had grim expressions on their faces.

"Luce," Jack indicated for her to set up the white board and handed her a folder with all the information she needed. While she was doing that, he addressed the rest of the team. "The body of a young woman was found at Rock Creek Park last night around nine o'clock. A wallet found nearby confirmed her identity as Laurel Baxter."

"Robbery gone wrong?" Danni asked as she leaned against her desk and crossed her arms over to expanding belly.

Jack shook his head. "Money and credit cards were still inside."

"Wait," Sue said. "Baxter? As in Senator John Baxter?"

His nod of confirmation was grim as he motioned to the photo that Lucy had already posted on the board. "She's his daughter." With a sigh, he looked to D to continue.

"I don't have to tell you that the Senator wants this case solved yesterday. He wants to find her killer and he wants it done quickly and quietly. No press and only resort to your snitches if it's an absolute must."

"What do we know?" Myles asked.

"Not much," Jack continued with another sigh. "She was a student at Howard Law and she lives in an apartment off campus with another student named Melissa Stohn. Bobby, you and Myles go talk to her roommate. And check in with some of her professors. See if she was acting any differently than usual." They both nodded as Jack dished out the rest of the assignments. "Tara, I need to know if she was employed somewhere near the school. Her father said she'd recently gotten a job, but he didn't know where."

"I'll see what I can find." Her fingers automatically began flying over her keyboard.

His gaze turned to Sue. "You and I are going to speak to her family. We need to see if they knew if she was in any sort of trouble."

"But, it could just be random," Danni pointed out. "Or even an accident. A young girl walking along in the park is usually the easiest target." She felt everyone's eyes upon her and still not used to it, she felt embarrassed. "I'm just saying."

The side of the team leader's mouth lifted in a smirk. "But you're right. And that's why you're going to find out for sure. I want you to go to the crime scene. The area's already been searched for evidence, but since you're so familiar with things like this, I need you to work your magic. But before you do, I need you to stop down at Metro and speak to an Officer…" he paused as he read the name off of the folder still in Lucy's hand, "Carl Banks. He was the first on scene."

"Who found her?" Bobby asked.

"A couple out walking their dogs," D answered. "Everything they know is in the report."

"Okay, people, we'll meet back here in a few hours." Jack walked over to his desk and grabbed his coat.

Sue glanced at Lucy who shrugged her shoulders. "I guess lunch is out of the question." She clipped Levi's leash onto his collar and stood back up to read the rotor's response.

"There's always next time."

With that, the rest of the group dispersed; each one filing out as soon as they collected their belongings. D sighed heavily as he stared at the empty desks in front of him, with the exception of Tara who was still clicking away at her keyboard.

It was going to be a long day.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Devotion**

**Chapter Seven**

"I just can't believe this happened," Melissa Stohn sniffled as she wiped her eyes with a tissue. "Laurel was such a sweet girl. Who would want to kill her?"

"That's exactly what we're looking to find out," Myles tried to reassure her, though his tone might not have been as sympathetic as it needed to be. "How long did you know Miss Baxter?"

Melissa sniffed again as she wrung her hands together and wrinkling the tissue in the process. "No long. We only moved in together about four months ago… once the semester started, really."

"You two weren't close?" Bobby asked, his pen scribbling inside the small black notebook in his hand.

Her shoulders lifted in a shrug. "Not really. Our arrangement was more of one of convenience. I couldn't afford an apartment on my own and Laurel didn't want to rely on her father's money. She was looking to make a name for herself. That's why she got that job at that… club." By the grimace that crossed her features, she didn't quite approve of her roommate's choice of employment.

"What club would this be?"

She shook her head and pulled her sweater tighter around her. "Some place on M Street. I can't remember the name."

"Have you been there?"

She nodded. "Once. It's not a dance club or anything. More of a bar with a dance show. No really my kind of place."

"A strip club?" Myles offered but she quickly shook that suggestion away.

"No. I may not have known Laurel all that well, but she would never take her clothes off for money."

"You're sure?" Bobby asked as he and Myles looked at each other with the same knowing expression. There was something in her tone that did not back up her conviction.

"Of course I'm sure," she snapped back unceremoniously. "She had a reputation to protect. Do you know what would have happened to her father if the public found out that she was dancing in a strip club to pay her way through school?" She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The girl was hiding something from them. Unfortunately, the more they pressed, the less she seemed to talk. "Though I'll admit, she had changed a lot since working there."

"Changed how?"

"She'd been keeping weird hours. Before, we would maybe see each other once; twice if out course load wasn't so heavy. But lately, it was like I didn't even have a roommate. The only evidence was a few dirty dishes in the sink and maybe a damp towel hanging in the bathroom."

"Is that it?" Myles tried to press. He didn't want to sound impatient, but whatever she was leaving out could just be the lead they were looking for. He released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when she shook her head.

"No. There's one more thing." She paused as she stood up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. She was back a moment later with a small white card in her hand. Swallowing thickly, she held it out for the blonde agent to take. Myles read it over before handing it to Bobby. "About a month and a half ago, she met this guy. She was so happy about it, but there was just something about him that didn't sit right with me. I think he might have been married."

"What makes you think that?" Bobby asked as he read the card. It was a note to Laurel from her supposed boyfriend and it was signed with only a single letter. _'K.'_

"I don't know. She gave me the feeling that she was doing something that she wasn't supposed to." She lowered herself back onto the couch and tucked her hands between her knees. "I know it's just a feeling, but Laurel was always a by-the-book king of girl. As far as I knew, she never had a mark against her."

Bobby held up the card, his thumb resting just below the signature initial. "This guy she met, did she ever tell you his name?"

She shook her head. "I'm not even sure if I was supposed to know they were seeing each other. I sort of found out by accident."

Arching an eyebrow, Bobby glanced back at Myles. "Accident?" How was that even possible?

"I sort of saw them together in the park one day… believe it or not, not all that far from where she was found." Heat crept to her cheeks as she relayed the next bit of information. "Anyway, they weren't exactly being secretive about their… attraction to one another." And that was putting it as civil as she possibly could.

Myles shifted to the edge of his seat. "What did he look like?"

Her eyes were wide and watery as she looked toward him. "I never saw his face."

* * *

><p>"Thanks again for doing this, Carl," Danni said as she lifted the yellow police tape and ducked underneath.<p>

"Anything for you, sweetie." Sergeant Officer Carl Banks was an older man in his mid to late fifties, but if you asked him, he was still a young buck at heart. He was heavy-set, with a large stomach—he would happily admit—from eating one too many donuts. Danni wouldn't call him a liar, either. She'd seen how many he could pack away.

"How's Marge doing these days?" She smiled at his impressed reaction. They'd worked together only once when she was still with Metro, but there was no way she could forget this particular officer's jolly demeanor. In fact, if his hair was white and he had a beard, he would make a darn good Santa Clause.

He smiled as he thought about his wife. "She's good. Thinking about retiring."

"Will she be the only one?" She smiled up at him expectantly, remembering how the two of them had been planning to retire to someplace tropical.

He shrugged his large shoulders. "Maybe. But, what about you? Life seems to be treating you pretty good. How's that husband of yours?"

"Good." Her hand automatically went to her not-so-flat-anymore belly and her smile grew even wider as she thought of Bobby. "It's been a crazy year."

"But a good one, I'll bet." He smiled at her and hers widened even more as she nodded. "Good. Now, this is where the couple found her." He pointed to a large area of brush and Danni moved toward it. "The husband said that if the dog hadn't gotten his collar stuck around the brambles, they never would have known she was there."

"At least not so soon," she added out loud before she went to work.

She brushed aside a few jagged branches and examined the area closely. Her stomach churned at the sight of the now dried blood stain. So, that meant Miss Baxter's head hadn't been more than a foot away from where the tips of her shoes rested in the grass.

The thought made her even queasier.

Coming out in the open, she took a look around where the body had been found. A half-dozen foot prints now littered the scene, covering up any traces of Laurel's footprints or her attackers or even any possible drag marks.

Sighing, she crouched down and tried to remember the crime scene photos she'd looked at before meeting with Carl.

"What are you thinking?" Carl asked from just behind her.

Completely forgetting that he was standing there, she jumped with fright. Chuckling to herself, she got back to her feet. "Something isn't right. Let's say she was standing where I am now." She arranged herself so that her body was where Laurel Baxter would have been standing when she was killed. "And let's say you're the killer and you shoot me…" she trailed off as she looked behind her. The foliage was thick and there were no other spaces around it. "I'd be facing the wrong way."

"So, what does this mean?"

It could mean any number of things. Was the body moved? No. There wouldn't have been so much blood if it had. "I'm not sure. Did you notice anything… unusual when you came upon the body?"

He shook his head. "Not that I noticed, but I'm not exactly a homicide cop." So if there had been, would he even notice? He wasn't so sure. "Wait. There was something strange," he remembered after a minute. "There was a mark on her neck… a scratch maybe. It looked like something had been pulled from her neck."

"Like a necklace?" she asked as she fingered the fine silver chain hanging around her own neck. He nodded. "But you didn't find one anywhere nearby?" A frustrated sigh escaped her when he shook his head. Why did it feel like she was getting nowhere?

She brushed the hair out of her eyes as a breeze blew through the park. The sun peeked out from its hiding place behind some clouds and something glinted in the light. Heart hopeful, she stepped back into the brush and removed a cloth handkerchief from her jacket pocket. There, dangling from the lowest of branches, hung a silver chain, the charm attached to it glittering in the sunlight.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Devotion**

**Chapter Eight**

"So, what do we have?" Jack asked as he leaned against his wife's desk. Sue was standing beside him with much the same expression; frustration. They were getting nowhere with this case, it seemed. And they were getting there pretty darn fast.

Bobby leaned back in his chair and tossed his pen onto his desk. "Well, the roommate wasn't really much help. All she knew was that Laurel was probably seeing someone she wasn't supposed to. She believed the yabbo was married."

"No name on the boyfriend?" Jack guessed.

Bobby nodded. "Only an initial that we got off of one of those cards you send along with a bouquet of flowers." He pointed to the board where Lucy had already made note of the so-called boyfriend. "And she did mention a club." He glanced toward Tara, but she merely shook her head.

"Nothing yet, but that necklace that Danni found should help."

The agent in question looked surprised. "How?"

"Well, a charm like this is rare and needs to be specially made. Each one receives an identification number that we can trace back to the company who made and sold it. Then we should be able to find out the name of this so-called boyfriend."

"Which I'm not wholly convinced even exists," Myles added as he sipped at the tar-like liquid at the bottom of his coffee mug. He winced at the bitter taste.

"Why's that?" Jack asked.

The Bostonian rolled his eyes. "What's one of the first things they teach you about being an investigator?" he asked, feeling as though it was common sense. And it might have been. If only to him.

"Don't forget to collate and staple?" Bobby tossed back with a smirk.

"Funny when you toss your breakfast, aren't you?" he retorted snidely. Myles seemed pleased when that shut the big-mouthed Aussie up. "One of the first things they teach you is that the guilty always try to pawn it off on someone else."

"So, you think she did it?" Sue asked, skeptically. "That's a little far-fetched, don't you think?"

"Why? Miss Stohn even admitted that she barely even knew her roommate. Why is it so hard to believe that she'd kill her?"

"No motive for one thing," Danni replied.

"And besides, Melissa Stohn has an alibi," Tara reminded him. "She was studying late last night in the library. We have witnesses."

"So, then we're back to square one," Jack said, a heavy sigh escaping him. His gaze shifted around his team, hoping for some sort of miracle to help them get through this. But they had nothing. No suspects, no murder weapon, no idea of where to go next. Suddenly, he turned to Lucy. "How long did the lab say it'll take to get the results from the necklace?"

She wished she had better news to give him. "Probably not until tomorrow morning. And that's putting a rush on it."

"Of course, we might not have to wait long for other results." Tara was practically glowing when her computer alerted her to the end of her search.

"Please tell me you have good news."

Her smile lightened his heart as she lifted her eyes from her screen. "I have good news." But she didn't continue until after she pushed the "print" button and held the hard copy in her hand. "I found the retailer that sold the necklace and you'll be happy to know that it was paid for with a credit card." She waved the paper in front of her body with an air of triumph.

Jack couldn't resist smiling as hers grew even wider. "And why do I feel like there's more?"

"Because I always have more," she countered with a teasing smirk. "I got the name of the man who bought the necklace and I cross-referenced it with what we knew about the club."

"Please tell me you got a match?"

She looked very pleased with herself as she nodded. "I got a match. His name is Kyle Marshall and he currently owns and runs the 'Celtic Club' on M Street." She then relinquished the printout over to her team leader.

"You are officially my new best friend," he told her as he handed it over to Bobby. "Work your magic." His eyes shifted over to Myles to let him know he was a part of it as well and both of them were quickly on their feet, reaching for their coats.

Jack was already dishing out more orders for the others to find out whatever they could about this Kyle Marshall by the time Bobby got his coat on. He stopped by Danni's desk to find her lost in her own thoughts.

Reaching out, he gently touched their unborn child. The bump gave a quiver and her eyes flickered over to meet his. "You okay, luv?" She nodded, but he wasn't entirely convinced.

Shaking her thoughts away she looked up at him with a smile. "I'm fine. I promise."

He still wasn't convinced, but he knew he couldn't argue with her. Giving in, he kissed her on the forehead with a promise to be back shortly. As soon as he turned and left the room, her smile faded and the thick veil of worry once again settled back into her heart.

* * *

><p>Myles was impressed by the layout of the club. It was part restaurant, part entertainment venue; dinner with a show. It was a sight very rarely seen around DC. This was a place a person would expect to see in New York, maybe even Las Vegas.<p>

As soon as he and Bobby walked through the doors, they were greeted by posters of women in scant attire and posed in a position that would make a man's blood run hot.

Ivy, Scarlet, Blaze, Frost. But as they walked into the dining area, they knew there was only one star of this particular show. Rayne. And it looked like she was about to take the stage for a solo rehearsal.

Bobby let out a slow whistle. "Swanky."

Myles could only nod in agreement as his eyes scanned the tables set right in front of the stage. A lone man with the reddest hair he'd ever seen sat at a table, watching the girl practice her routine. She was a lithe beauty with golden blond hair. The man in front was surely enjoying the show.

They took advantage of him being distracted. They moved in, flanking him on his right side.

"Kyle Marshall?" Myles asked, gaining the man's attention.

Not liking the fact that he was being disturbed, cold blue eyes set upon the two agents. He didn't say anything for a moment as he sized the two men up, and then straightened his suit jacket as a smirk curled at the corner of his mouth. "Sorry guys. The club doesn't open for a couple more hours."

"We're not exactly interested in the show," Bobby responded as he removed his badge and ID from the inside pocket of his jacket and showed it off. "Bobby Manning, Myles Leland; FBI. We're here to talk to you about a girl you had working for you. Laurel Baxter."

Myles held up a photograph of Laurel and let Kyle study it.

"She's cute, but I don't know her."

"Really? Because we have reason to believe that she was working here," Myles countered, catching the other man in his lie.

Still, Kyle didn't seem fazed. He even leaned farther back in his chair and sipped at the drink sitting in front of him. "Then you'd have to talk to my wife about that. She handles that end of the business."

This guy was too cool and collected for his own good. It was like he'd delivered this spiel one time too many. And it was irking Bobby to no end. "Mr. Marshall, were you having an affair with Laurel Baxter?"

Anger flared up in a pair of blue eyes. It was exactly the reaction Bobby was hoping for. In anger was where most criminals made mistakes. "How dare you make accusations like that?" He climbed to his feet, but barely even made it past either agent's shoulders.

Myles replaced the picture of Laurel with another slip of paper and another photo. "We have a receipt from a and it was paid for with your credit card." He showed Kyle the image of the necklace. It looked extremely delicate and styled in a knot forming two entwined hearts.

Kyle shrugged as he took his eyes away from the image. He didn't immediately look back at the agents and when he finally did, they were certain he was hiding something. "Yeah, so? I bought a necklace for my wife there. They sent me the wrong one, so I ordered another one."

Bobby sighed heavily. The yabbo was deciding to stick with his lie. "Fine, then. But the necklace stated in this receipt was found in the same area as Laurel Baxter was found. How do you suppose she ended up with it?"

He shrugged again. "How am I supposed to know?"

"So, you didn't give it to her?" Why didn't Myles readily believe that?

Kyle tensed before their eyes, but he managed to shake his head. "No I didn't."

Curious as to why the sudden tension, Myles turned to find that they were no longer alone. A woman with hair black as night that fell to just above her shoulders stood behind them, her arms crossed over her chest and an accusing glare in her eyes. Facing Kyle once again, he just arched an eyebrow in question.

Sighing in resignation—or frustration, Myles couldn't be sure—Kyle waved the woman over. "Gentlemen, this is my wife… Kara Lynn."


	9. Chapter Nine

**Devotion**

**Chapter Nine**

Danni was brushing her teeth when Bobby crawled into bed. He moaned with relief as the tense muscles in his back relaxed against the firmness of the mattress. He stayed like that until he heard the water stop running in the other room. "So, the girls were wondering if you wanted to go to lunch with them tomorrow." He told her as he tucked a pillow underneath his head.

"That sounds great," she said as she dried her hands on the hand towel by the sink. "But I already have plans for lunch tomorrow."

He lifted his head from the pillow and turned to look at the opened door separating their bedroom from their en suite bathroom. "You do?"

He heard her chuckle. "We already talked about this."

He arched an eyebrow in question. "We did?"

She chuckled again as she wiped down the sink and threw the hand towel in the hamper by the door. "Yes. I told you the other day that I'm meeting an old friend for lunch tomorrow."

He thought about that. He couldn't honestly remember talking about it, but perhaps it was because of this case that his brain was so rattled.

"So, anyway," she switched topics, "how did it go today?"

Bobby tried to stifle his yawn, but he couldn't hold it at bay. "You were there when we told the team. The blighter told us nothing."

She switched off the light and walked into the bedroom to find him sprawled out on his back, the cat curled up on his stomach. "Yeah, I heard that part, but you never did say what you really thought of him."

His eyebrow arching in question, "Why's that important?"

"It's not. I'm just curious." She gave a little shrug of her shoulders and climbed up into bed. That was a feat in and of itself when she was normal size. Soon it would get to the point that she wouldn't be able to do it at all.

Bobby was puzzled by her question but still, he humored her. "It's a nice place, though when we walked in, I felt like I'd just walked into a scene from 'The Godfather'."

She giggled and rolled onto her side. Luna climbed off of his stomach and crawled over to her. Curling up into her mistress, she purred contently. "Did he make you an offer you couldn't refuse?"

He rolled his eyes at that comment. "No, but just for the record, any offer that drongo would have made would have been easy to refuse."

She smiled, impressed by her husband's bravery. Not that she was surprised by it. "Ouch. I take it you weren't exactly impressed by him?"

He snorted and rolled over onto his side. "Please. That man is lower than pond scum, believe me."

"You don't have to worry about that." The comment left her lips before she even had the chance to think about it. She just hoped Bobby hadn't caught the double meaning of her words. "So, you think he did it?"

He weighed that question in his mind for a moment. "It's hard to tell. But I do know that he and Laurel were involved in some manner or another." The man reeked of guilt when he'd come face-to-face with his wife.

She rolled her eyes. "Big surprise." That one made him arch his eyebrow in wonder. "What about his wife?" she quickly asked. "You said she'd come in when you and Myles were talking to him."

He nodded. "She did, but if she heard any of the questioning, I'm not sure. She looked angry, but it turned out to be because we'd kept her girls from rehearsal." Danni only nodded at that. Bobby was curious about her behavior. First, she'd become lost in thought in the bullpen after they'd discovered that Marshall was their main suspect. And now she was asking him all these questions. "Why so interested?"

She merely shrugged again, trying to feign disinterest. "Like I said before, just curious." She offered him a sweet smile and placed a gentle kiss to the tip of his nose.

While he didn't readily believe her, he was too tired to argue with her. Still, there was one thing he needed to know. "Right. But, if there was something wrong, you'd tell me, wouldn't you?"

She cupped his cheek in her palm and smoothed the cropping worry lines away with her thumb. "There's nothing wrong, Luv," she promised. At least not yet, but she could sense trouble just over the horizon. She brushed her lips lightly against his in assurance for both him and herself. "I promise."

He rested his forehead against hers as he gave in. "Okay." He would let it slide for now, but he wouldn't be so lenient the next time around. He couldn't handle her being stressed, for the sake of the baby.

Just thinking about their future child made him reach out and caress the bump that was hidden underneath her tank top. His fingers danced over the expanse, causing her to give a shiver. His eyes flicked up to meet hers, filled with love and an underlying heat that turned his body to jelly.

Smiling, he leaned in and kissed her again. Butterfly kiss, after butterfly kiss, he had her sighing in contentment until she suddenly burst out with a case of the giggles. Pulling away like he'd physically hurt her, he could only stare down at her in wonder. "Danni?"

She continued to laugh and tried to shift away, but she just couldn't collect enough strength to move herself. She was only able to get out one word, "Luna."

Suddenly, his gaze shifted to the cat. She was lying serenely on her back, her front paws curled into her chest as she presented her belly to her humans and just purred. Bobby then did the only thing he could think of. He gently lifted Luna up and moved her more toward the foot of the mattress.

That seemed to do the trick and finally, Danni's laughter died down. But before it completely dissipated, she grabbed Bobby's hand and placed it over her swollen abdomen. Underneath his palm, he felt the familiar flutter of the being within. Tears sprang to his eyes, just like the day he'd first felt that specific little movement.

"Wow, he's really moving, isn't he?"

She rolled her eyes as she wiped her tears from them. "I guess _she_ likes it when Luna purrs." This was a common argument between them and it wouldn't be long until they found out what they were having for sure.

Bobby couldn't help but laugh as his arm snaked around his wife's waist and pulled her closer to his side of the bed. "Well, I have to say I really like it when _you_ purr." He smiled triumphantly when he saw three shades of red grace her features.

But she wouldn't let that little comment deter her. While she could have just buried her head in his shoulder with embarrassment, she wasn't one to back down from a challenge like that. One of her eyebrows arched in interest. "Oh really?" she asked.

Licking his lips, he nodded before his head descended and began placing kisses—as light as they had been on her lips—to her chin and neck before trailing lower. The arm around her waist relaxed as his hands began to wander.

Danni arched against him, her breaths escaping her in gasps as he touched those extra sensitive spots only he knew about. Her fingers wound their way through his hair, until she could no longer take it. Giving one good tug on his locks, she pulled him back up to her level to give him something else to focus on.

He didn't disappoint. His lips moved expertly against hers as his hands edged underneath her shirt. And it wasn't long before they needed air. Even then, neither one completely pulled away. She remained locked in his arms and he continued to place heart-racing kisses against her chin, forehead, cheeks… anywhere he could.

She smiled up at him with all the devotion she held in her heart for him. "I love you so much, Bobby."

His response was more than she could ever expect. Instead of using his words, he used his mouth, his hands, and then his body to convey just how much he loved her too.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Devotion**

**Chapter Ten**

Staring at the white board, Jack was getting frustrated. It was bad because their information was getting them nowhere and it was worse because the pressure coming from the brass to solve this was becoming too much. Still, the team had never failed at solving a case and this was not going to turn out to be the exception.

"Luce, what do we know about Kyle Marshall's wife?"

Her eyes flickered over to him, a single eyebrow raised. "Except for the fact that there isn't one?" Her question caught everyone's attention. They all swiveled in their chairs to look at her. All except for one.

"What do you mean?" Tara asked.

"I mean, I've looked through all the paperwork we have on this guy," she lifted up the large pile of papers from her desk to show them all, "and I have not found a marriage license or a certificate of union." She dropped the stack back onto her desk where it landed with a loud "_thwap_!".

"So, Kara Lynn Marshal doesn't exist?" Sue asked, slowly making sense of what was happening here.

Lucy shook her head. "No. She doesn't. But, a Kara Lynn Stewart _does_ exist."

"And who is she?" Bobby asked.

"None other than the woman you and Myles had the… erm… pleasure of meeting at the Celtic Club. She's a dancer there that goes by the stage name "Frost"."

"So, then, why would he call her his wife?" Myles asked aloud.

"They have a Common Law marriage," Danni answered, softly. "They have full rights as a married couple, but it's not documented."

Jack arched an eyebrow in her direction. He could tell that there was something about this case that wasn't sitting well with her. She looked tired and maybe even a bit scared. "Okay, so then what do we know about this Kara Lynn Stewart?"

Sighing, she pulled the top file from the pile and sifted through it. "Not much. She was an aspiring dancer in high school. She even earned a scholarship to a very prestigious dance academy. One that eventually would have taken her to Broadway." Compassion echoed through her voice when she realized that dream had not panned out for the poor girl. "But for some reason the deal fell through." Although, she could probably fathom a guess.

"Okay, let's theorize, then," Myles began. "She's in high school with the world at her fingertips when she meets the Irish Mafia poster boy… or wannabe; whatever you want to call him. She decides that she's so in love with him that she drops out of school and throws her dream of the lights of Broadway to be with him." He snorted as he leaned back in his chair.

"And as the years roll by, she becomes so jaded by the so-called life he's given her," Bobby continued, "that she can't see what's happening right in front of her face."

"But are we absolutely positive Laurel was seeing Kyle?" Sue asked, suddenly feeling as though they were talking about some sort of soap opera.

"I would honestly say that she wouldn't have been the first," the Bostonian replied with just the slightest of guilt to his own voice. His gaze shifted over to Lucy who smiled warmly and forgivingly at him. His heart soared at the sight. He still couldn't believe she'd forgiven him for his actions and agreed to marry him to boot! "The man is a slimeball and I wouldn't doubt that every one of his wife's "girls" have a necklace similar to Miss Baxter's."

"So, what do we do?" Lucy asked. "I mean, as much as we hate it, cheating on someone is not a crime." Though, at one time, she might have wished it was.

"Maybe we can flip her," Tara offered. "Maybe we can convince her of the slime she's with. Nothing is worse than a woman scored, after all." She seemed pretty happy with her solution.

"Talking from experience, sheila?" Bobby asked with a teasing smirk.

She shrugged her shoulders offhandedly. "Maybe."

"She won't flip," Danni blurted out, causing everyone to shift their attention to her. She blew out a frustrated breath and ran a hand through her hair as she tried to calm her rattled nerves. But she'd kept this inside for far too long and she felt like she would burst if she didn't let it out.

"What makes you think that?" Jack asked, noticing how the stress seemed to be getting to her. He locked eyes with his wife across the room and those hazel depths were wide with worry.

"Because I know Kara Lynn," she finally admitted.

"You mean, you know women like her, right?" Sue offered, she was shocked when her cousin shook her head.

"No. I mean… I know her. She and I… we went to school together." Her eyes suddenly clouded with tears and it was a moment before she could collect herself. "In fact, she was my best friend."

The room became quiet at her declaration. Even Levi, who'd been wrestling with his bunny, had stopped to look at her.

"I know I should have told you all sooner, but I wasn't sure how… and I would completely understand if you wanted to take me off this case.

"Well, that depends," Jack said, a smile quirking the corners of his mouth.

She lifted a single eyebrow in question. "On what?"

"On what you can tell us about your old friend."

She was afraid that's what he would say. Pulling in a deep breath, she stood up from her chair and moved around her desk to perch herself on the opposite side of her desk. "Well, Myles and Bobby weren't too far off; Except that Kyle wasn't the main reason why she'd dropped out of school. Her stepfather was useless and her mother had been jumping from job to job, so she basically had to raise her two little brothers on her own. Dancing was her escape."

"But then she met Kyle?" Tara asked.

Danni nodded. "The moment I met that man, I didn't like him. There was just something about him that didn't sit right with me."

"You've always been a good judge of character," Sue tried to reassure her and even got up from her own desk to offer Danni the support she needed right at that moment. "Did you ever tell her that you didn't trust him?"

Her cousin nodded slowly, her eyes staring straight ahead as if she was reliving a terrible memory. "She couldn't understand why I didn't like him. Told me to give him a chance, but I just couldn't."

"Why?" Lucy asked.

Danni's blue eyes swiveled in her direction and they seemed clouded in fear. "Have you ever looked at a person and immediately knew they were evil? That inside of them there was something dark deep down?"

"I know I have," Myles admitted with a shiver racing down his spine. "As should we all. We face it every single day."

"Well, that's how I felt ever time he was near me."

"So, you believe he killed Laurel Baxter." It was a statement, not a question from Sue.

Danni nodded, "without a doubt."

The room was quiet again as they all tried to process what she was telling them. The fact that one of their own was involved rather closely with his extremely crucial case was something they had to take into consideration. It could jeopardize the whole thing… or it could blow it wide open.

Bobby was staring at something in front of him and she would be lying if she said she hadn't realized he hadn't spoken throughout that whole conversation. She had no excuse for hiding this from him. He was always willing to listen, but would he really have listened to her about this? Or would he have recommended that she be taken off the case?

Sighing heavily, she knew she didn't have an answer to that. "Also, if it helps, I might have a plan." She'd lain awake a good bit of the night, thinking about this and if it meant solving this case and finding Laurel Baxter's killer, then she would be willing to do this; to face her past and march into the lion's den.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Devotion**

**Chapter Eleven**

Lunch hour traffic was almost as bad as early morning; everyone rushing around so they could eat and then hurry back to work in time. Lucy had found it almost impossible to find a parking spot anywhere near "Marco's" restaurant until a spot opened up right in front of her. She quickly took advantage and pulled the car into park.

She and Sue were chattering about what they were going to eat and what they'd heard was good, while Tara's attention had been drawn to the diner across the street. A man and his companion were sitting in a booth at the window. At first glance, she could have sworn the man looked just like Matt, but with his face lowered toward his plate and the burger resting there, she couldn't really tell.

Then he looked up, his green eyes sparkling in the sunlight. Her heart jumped at the sight and then fell flat when she finally took a good look at his companion.

While she knew she didn't have much of an emotional claim on him, she would be lying if she said it didn't hurt to see him with another woman. Plus there was the fact that the she had never seen that particular smile on his face before. He was looking at this other woman the way she wished to be looked at. They just looked so comfortable.

"Tara?" Sue called to her from the sidewalk. Turning to face her friends, the techie hoped her pain wasn't showing on her face. "Everything okay?"

It was a typical Sue question. No real need to panic because of it. But that knowledge wouldn't quell the ache in her heart. Still, she gathered up enough strength to nod and even managed a small smile.

"Well, come on, then." Lucy said motioning for her to come along. "I'm hungry and Jack's going to want us back as soon as possible for the briefing."

Closing the car door, she met up with her friends in front of the door of the restaurant. And as she was about to walk inside, she spared one more glance back at the diner across the street. Matt was reaching across the table to hold the woman's hand. Tara sighed heavily. '_At least it was nice while it lasted,_' she told herself before she joined her friends.

* * *

><p>She jumped as his hand connected with hers. Eyes wide, she pulled her eyes away from the bowl of soup in front of her to look at him.<p>

A smile curled at the corners of Matt's lips as he caught her completely by surprise. "You know, Danni, as happy as I am to see you today, I was hoping for more stimulating conversation." He winked playfully at her, but it didn't receive the usual response he was used to.

She looked guilty as she swirled her spoon through the bowl of broth and noodles and watched at the waves of chicken danced within. "I'm sorry, Matty. I guess I just have a lot on my mind."

"Husband problems?" he teased as he munched on a crispy french fry.

She silently weighed that question in her mind. There was a yes and a no answer to that question. But, was that the underlying reason for her wandering mind? "No."

"So, then, what's the problem?"

She sighed heavily as she set down her spoon and tore off a piece of her grilled cheese before dipping it into the bowl. He'd already commented about her not eating once; she didn't want to hear it again. So, despite the fact that she wasn't hungry, she popped the piece of sandwich into her mouth and chewed. At least then she could take the time to think about what she was going to tell him without going too much into detail. "My team's been working on a case I'd rather not handle."

His brow arched in interest as he took a nice big chomp out of his burger. "Why?" was what she thought he'd uttered around his mouthful of food.

He always did know how to make her smile, no matter the means. Still, worry and fear still remained in the pit of her stomach. "I'm actually really close to this one."

He wiped at a smudge of ketchup at the corner of his mouth with his napkin as he continued to chew the last bit of food in his mouth. "How close?"

She snorted a laugh as she picked more at her sandwich. "Close enough that I'm a hair's width away from being removed from it because it's a conflict of interest." He let out a low whistle and leaned back in his seat. "But we've hit a dead end on this case and the only way for it to move forward is if I go undercover."

"And I'm guessing the husband wasn't so understanding?" he asked. She rolled her eyes at him as if that was obvious. "So, what does he think of this plan?"

She sighed heavily. "He hates it. And I don't really blame him. I'm not all that fond of the idea, myself."

"I'm sure he'll come around. And besides, there's no one I know better at going undercover than you."

She blushed at the compliment. At least he had faith in her. Of course, he would be the only one sitting at the table to do so. Danni wasn't sure she could do it all over again; face Kara Lynn and discuss what had happened to drive the giant wedge between them. Drug smugglers and fugitives on the run scared her less. "I hope you're right." Because she still wasn't convinced.

"I'd like to think I am." He rested his arm against the length of the booth and looked quite full of himself.

She rolled her eyes. "I never knew you to be so knowledgeable about love and romance."

He shrugged. "I've learned a bit over the years."

"Which reminds me, I've been meaning to ask you about this new girl of yours." Feeling more at ease, now, she rested her elbows on the table and leaned forward in interest.

"She's great," was all he offered.

"That's it?" she asked, feeling a little deprived of information. He shrugged his shoulders again, but his smile grew wider. His glistening pearly-whites gave away everything she would have ever wanted to know. "Good for you."

"Thanks," he said before he motioned back to her still full bowl of soup. She rolled her eyes at him and picked up her spoon to appease her good friend. "So, when do you find out what you're having?" He was still in awe that Danni was having a baby, but that still didn't mean he wasn't going to be there to take care of her.

"I have an appointment at the end of next week." She slurped at the lukewarm broth with a shake of her head. "But enough about me. Dish about the new girlfriend."

He smiled again and it was all the encouragement he needed.

* * *

><p>Jack hung up the phone and swiveled around to grab his jacket. "That was SOG. Kara Lynn is at a small grocery store not far from the club. It's the perfect opportunity to execute your plan." He nodded toward Danni who repeated the gesture before reaching for her own jacket and going into the bottom drawer of her purse.<p>

"I still don't like this," Bobby grumbled. And he liked it even less that his wife was going in unarmed and her only backup was going to be in an unmarked van a block and a half away.

Jack patted him on the shoulder in a friendly gesture, but the squeeze of his hand was to remind him that he was still in charge. "No one said you had to, Crash." But he needed to get over it and keep a level head if he didn't want to stay behind in the bullpen.

"SOG's sure she's alone?" Myles needed confirmation as he clipped his gun to his belt.

Jack nodded. "They confirmed that she was the only one who got in and out of her car. So we have to move and we have to move now." There couldn't be any argument to the fact. They couldn't let this opportunity slip through their fingers, because they didn't know if it would ever happen again. "Now, you remember your cover, right?"

Danni rolled her eyes and couldn't resist smiling just a little. "I remember."

He nodded. "Good. Tara, what about the feed?"

"All taken care of. Danni will be wearing a wireless microphone that will be transmitting straight to my laptop where it will be recorded."

"But, do we really think Kara Lynn is going to give anything away at just the first meeting?" Sue asked, skeptically.

The techie shrugged her shoulders. "Can't say for sure. That's why we're taking the extra step as a precaution."

"Great," Jack said anxiously. "Let's move out."

The team did as they were told, each member filing out one by one until only Lucy, Bobby and Danni were left. Bobby looked toward the rotor and motioned his head toward the door. Her brow furrowed in confusion when she could understand what he was trying to say. He jerked his head with a more forceful motion and gave her a look that told her to scram.

"Right, I should go update D." She concluded before quickly shuffling from the room.

Standing up from her chair, Danni stared after Lucy, puzzled by her sudden disappearance. "What's gotten into her?"

Bobby innocently shrugged. "Can't say. But, now that we're alone, I think we should talk."

She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Bobby, we really don't have the time to discuss this. The team is waiting for us downstairs." She slung her purse over her shoulder and made to walk out of the room.

He stepped in her way and she stopped to stare up at him. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because we don't have any other choice," she told him, truthfully.

"I don't like you going in without any protection. What if Kara Lynn's not alone and Kyle's boys are keeping an eye on her?"

"And if they are? I'm not going as a threat. I'm going to help an old friend."

"While trying to solve a case," he reminded her.

She offered him a small smirk. "Yes, but she doesn't have to know that. Remember, I'm supposed to be wife of a lawyer who's just starting up his own firm. Not exactly the biggest threat in the world." She winked playfully at him, but his demeanor didn't soften any. "Look, I don't like this anymore than you do, but this is something I have to… if only for Laurel Baxter's sake." She would have been more than happy to leave her past behind her.

He seemed surprised by her admission. "You don't?"

She shook her head. "No. And if we had more time to talk about this, I'd tell you everything right now, but we have to get moving before we lose this opportunity." The faster she got in, the faster this could end.

"But you would tell me?" For some reason, he needed to be assured of that.

She nodded and reached up to tenderly touch his cheek. She didn't like the fact that dark circles had appeared underneath his eyes and as if it would help, she lightly ran her thumb over them to try to erase them. "Of course I would."

"Danni?" Myles called from the doorway, a look of apology for interrupting written all over his face. She turned away from her husband to look at him. "Jack's about ready to blow his top. We've got to move."

Nodding, she turned back to Bobby. "Tonight. I'll tell you whatever you want to know tonight." She looked back at him expectantly and smiled when he nodded in agreement.

"Tonight," he conceded and when she moved away, he grabbed hold of her and pulled her back to him. "It's a date," he whispered before he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers.

Myles's groan was what broke the intimate moment.

"We should go," she reminded him.

"Yeah, we don't want Sparky to live up to his name, do we?" he teased as he reached into his desk for his weapon, clipped it to his belt and wrapped his arm around her as they walked out of the room.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Devotion**

**Chapter Twelve**

Danni had been hoping for more. More people to separate her from Kara Lynn. More store for her to hide in. More time for her to think about how she was going to approach the other woman.

But she had none of that and she had very little opportunity left.

She spotted Kara Lynn down a miniscule cereal aisle, a shopping basket in hand, and took a step forward before she could move no more. Closing her eyes, she blew out an exasperated breath and rolled her eyes at her behavior.

She could do this. She'd faced bad guys a plenty during her career in the police force and in her short stint as a federal agent, so this should be the easiest thing in the world. Yet she was terrified and she hoped desperately for a distraction.

"C'mon, Danni," she heard Jack's voice growl in her ear, but then his tone softened, probably because of a rebuke from his wife. "You can do this."

Like she didn't know that! It was just her feet that didn't. They seemed to be rebelling against her.

And then the opportunity slipped through her fingers and her target walked out of the aisle and toward the check-out counter. That's when her legs started to work again. And she did something completely unexpected. "Kara?" she called out and stared in surprise when the other woman turned to look at her.

Recognition was immediate as her eyes widened and a smile brightened her face. "Danni?" Kara Lynn hurried over to Danni, setting down her basket of items before wrapping her up in a hug.

Danni was taken by surprise by the affectionate greeting. And she was even more surprised when she found herself returning the hug with just as much force. Flashes of the easiness of the friendship she had with Kara Lynn came back to her like a flood of rushing water. Images of two teenage girls just being teenage girls and as the two grew up and apart.

"I can't believe it's really you," the other woman said as she looked her old friend up and down, silently assessing the way she looked. "What are you doing in Washington?"

Smiling her first real smile since coming up with this idea and agreeing to do it, Danni shrugged her shoulders. "I moved here a few years ago. What about you?"

"Just moved here not too long ago. Kyle and I own our own club not far from here. It's one of those dinner and a show kind of places."

"Your dream," Danni remember and Kara Lynn nodded. "So, I suppose you're still dancing then?"

The other woman nodded again. "What about you? Still singing?"

Danni shook her head and she was surprised by the apologetic look that crossed her old friend's face. "No. I've given up on performing, though I still do write occasionally." She'd even sold a few songs, which had given them the money for a down payment for the house, not to mention pay off the rest of the money Bobby had still owed Jack from when he'd saved him during the Merino case a few years back.

Kara Lynn looked impressed before a teasing smirk appeared on her lips. "Still into the cutesy stuff?"

Danni couldn't help but laugh at that question. Her musical tastes and interests had certainly changed since high school. "Hey, from what I remember, you used to like the cutesy stuff just as much as I did." The other woman knew she couldn't deny that and she didn't. She even joined in on the laughter. "But, no. I've graduated from to something more… appropriate, I guess you could say."

"I'd love to hear it some time. Do you think you could make an exception to the 'no performing' rule for an old friend?" Kara Lynn batted her eyelashes playfully before breaking into a giggling fit. It was something the two girls used to do to each other when they wanted to get the other to do something they weren't particularly fond of.

Danni laughed too. She sighed contentedly. It was starting to feel like those almost fifteen years of being apart hadn't changed either of them one bit. "It's really good to see you, Kara," she found herself saying.

Kara's smile widened and she gave a slight nod. "It's good to see you too, but you didn't answer my question." She pointed an accusing finger at Danni, but couldn't keep a straight face. The traces of a grin were clear by the sparkle in her eyes.

Wow! Performing again. That was a scary thought. She hadn't been up on a music stage in years. Not because she had just wanted to stop performing, but because it had slowly been phased out of her life. Work had taken quite a tight grip on her since moving to DC and then she'd reconnected with Sue… and then meeting Bobby.

"It's something that I would definitely consider," she answered truthfully. It wasn't a 'yes' or 'no' answer, which was what Kara had been looking for, but it was a 'maybe' that sent a shiver down her spine at just the thought of how thrilling it would be to get back up in the spotlight.

Kara lightly poked her in the arm. "I'll hold you to that."

And then the mood suddenly changed. The sound of Kara's cell phone ringing made her mouth twist into a grimace. She glanced at the display and a sudden cloud of… what it was, Danni couldn't describe… fell upon her face. "It's Kyle," she informed before pushing a button and slipping the phone back into her purse. "I guess I've been gone too long." She merely shrugged and tried to smile again, but she'd suddenly lost the energy to.

Danni understood immediately. "You should probably go, then." Her tone wasn't cold or accusatory. She remained more neutral on the outside than she was feeling on the inside right at that moment.

"It's just… he gets worried if I'm gone too long. Surely you understand?"

Danni could only nod. Kara was grasping at straws, trying to think of some way to make excuses for Kyle and his possessiveness. Of course Danni understood. But she also understood that relationships like that could sometimes escalate to the point that either part of the couple is laying on a slab in the morgue.

Kyle had always been that way, but as far as she knew, it had never gotten to the point that he'd… The baby gave her ribs a swift kick as if telling her that it was best to just not finish that thought.

Though, when Kara's phone rang again, the thought returned full force. Still, remaining neutral was the best thing for her to do. So, taking in a deep breath, she smiled at Kara and reached out to touch her arm with tender understanding. "It's okay. Go."

"Oh, Danni," the other woman began as she swooped in to give her another hug, "It really is so great to see you. And we still have so much to catch up on… Hey! What are you doing tomorrow for lunch?"

The agent pretended to think about it. "I'd have to check my schedule, but I think I'm free as a bird."

"Great. Do you know Romano's Pizzeria?" Danni nodded. "How about we meet there tomorrow, say around twelve-thirty?"

"Sounds like a plan," Danni agreed.

"Great." Kara swooped back in for another hug before she bent down to retrieve her discarded basket. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Tomorrow," Danni replied with a smile which immediately fell when the cell phone rang one more time.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Devotion**

**Chapter Thirteen**

His name was a whisper on her lips as his hands glided over her skin. His thumbs caressed her most sensitive of spots causing her to moan loudly. Her back arched off the couch, her toes curling at the pleasure he was invoking. "That feels so good," she moaned, her lower lip finding its way between her teeth.

He didn't say anything. He just continued his ministrations. Massaging and soothing until he felt her body completely relax and melt into the couch cushions.

She sighed contently as she rested her hands upon her belly and pulled her left foot from his grasp only to replace it with the right one. When he didn't automatically continue, she wiggled her toes in his lap until he finally gave in and treated that one with the same amount of attention as the other foot.

Relaxing back into the cushions, she watched her husband. He seemed calm, despite the fact that he'd been quiet most of the day. Usually when that was the case, he was close to bursting. But he just worked away on her tired feet and said nothing.

It was the kind of silence she didn't like.

"So?" she asked, finally breaking the awkwardness between them.

He looked up, startled by her willingness to talk. "So, what?" he asked.

"So… I thought you wanted to talk."

He nodded, "I did… I mean, I do. But not about what we were talking about before."

Arching an eyebrow in bewilderment, she got the urge to feel his forehead for a fever. "So, then you forgive me for not telling you about Kara Lynn?"

Stopping the tender caresses he was delivering to the sole of her foot, he wrapped his arm around her legs and turned in his seat to look at her. "There's nothing to forgive. I might have gone a bit over the deep end with this one."

She snorted sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. "You think?"

He just ignored that comment and continued. "And, while I might not have agreed at first with you going undercover, today completely changed my mind."

Bobby always managed to surprise her and this time was no exception. "Really?"

He nodded. "Sometimes I forget who I'm married to." He smiled at the look she was giving him. It was one of those "and-who-am-I" kind of looks. "You're the best at what you do. If you weren't, the FBI wouldn't have recruited you."

Danni's smile widened at every word he spoke. "Keep it up. I kind of like where this is going." She chuckled at the roll of his eyes, but stopped when he immediately sobered.

"I know that I have to keep remembering it, too, but every time I try, I think of your condition and what could happen if something goes wrong."

She held her hands out to him, beckoning him to pull her into a sitting position. He did as she silently asked and waited patiently for what she had to say. "You can't keep thinking that. I'm pregnant, Luv. I'm not going to break at the first sign of trouble."

His hand found its way to the swell of her stomach and rested itself there. "Yeah, but you're not the only one that'll get hurt if there is."

The pain clouding his eyes was almost too much for her to bear. She could see how much their baby meant to him. Placing her hand over his, she scooted closer to him and rested her head upon his shoulder. "I know you're worried about us, but you also have to remember that Kara isn't a threat. I'm perfectly safe when I'm around her."

He wanted to believe that. He really did because it would only mean long, sleepless nights upon even longer days.

As if sensing his disbelief, she placed a tender kiss to his jaw and wrapped her arms tightly around him for as far as her belly would allow. "If it'll make you feel any better, I can suggest to Jack that backup might be a necessity." Her eyes flickered up to see his reaction. From her point of view, he seemed to be considering it.

"It's an idea," he told her with a smirk.

Her eyes lit up at that little glimpse of a smile on his features. "Not that that's all taken care of," she began with a teasing twinkle in her eye, "What do you say you go dig out the chocolate sauce and the whipped cream?" She waggled her eyebrows in emphasis.

His eyes instantly lit up with mischief and desire; a complete switch from the sullen Bobby that had recently come out to play. "I say it sounds like a pretty good idea," he purred in response, lowering his lips to hers, tasting her distinct flavor.

"Good," she breathed when the parted. "Because, this little one and me would really enjoy an ice cream sundae."

* * *

><p>Picking up her laptop, Tara shoved it into her computer bag with a heavy sigh. She'd decided to stay late and finish up a few last details before heading home for the night. Slipping one arm into the sleeve of her jacket, she switched off her computer before putting it the rest of the way on. She then slung her computer bag onto her shoulder and reached for her phone.<p>

As she was about to grab it, it vibrated against the desktop and then the "Whinnie-the-Pooh" theme began to play. It was the ringtone she'd selected to play when _he_ called her.

She groaned and just stared at the small device until it completely went silent. It wasn't that she was avoiding Matt… of course, if she wasn't doing that, she wasn't sure just what she _was_ doing.

Sighing heavily, she fell back into her chair and tapped the fingernails of her right hand upon the desktop in a staccato rhythm while she gnawed on the thumbnail of her left.

This wasn't the first time he'd called either. He'd been trying to call her all day, in fact, and had also left two messages. And she wanted to answer. But, she also wanted to question him about the woman he was having lunch with this afternoon. She didn't have the right, though.

They weren't an exclusive couple. And though they hadn't officially voice it, it didn't they weren't allowed to see other people. So, he was free to do whatever he wanted. No matter how much it ended up hurting her in the long run.

Her reverie was disrupted by at knock at the door. She turned to see who it was only to regret it. The man she wasn't avoiding was standing right in front of her.

"Hey," he greeted with that amazing smile of his.

She returned the smile, feeling the sharp pain of the lump that has suddenly formed in her throat. "Hi." The word escaped her in a low squeak. She cleared her throat and stood up from her chair.

"I tried calling you today," he told her, just in case she hadn't received any of his calls or messages.

Swallowing, she took in a gulp of air to call her rattled nerves. Why they were that way, she wasn't sure. This was just Matt and they were just having a normal conversation. At least, that's what she'd tried to convince herself of. "Yeah, sorry," she apologized. "We were just so busy today. We had an undercover after lunch and then we had to prepare for another tomorrow." She was proud of herself. She hadn't told a single lie. Of course, she hadn't told the entire truth, either.

She figured he wouldn't have been able to tell that, but he was as good of an agent as she was.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, reaching out to gently squeeze her upper arm. He was surprised when she recoiled away from him.

She nodded, but couldn't look him in the eye. "Fine."

If there was one thing he didn't like, it was mind games. And that's what Tara was doing to him right now, even if she wasn't intending to. "So, then why won't you look at me? And why have you been avoiding me all day?"

She was appalled by the accusation, no matter how true it was. "I haven't been avoiding you," she tried to reassure him, but she had a better chance of making Myles believe that Randy Pitts wanted to be his new best friend. And it would take a lot more to convince herself of her honesty.

He wasn't sure whether to be angry or concerned. She just didn't seem like the Tara that he knew. "What's wrong?" His tone was sympathetic as he perched himself upon the corner of her desk.

She shook her head, trying to appear like nothing was amiss and she even opened her mouth, ready to spout out some nonsense to him. But she couldn't do that. She couldn't do it to him. She needed to be honest. She owed him that much.

Letting out a heavy sigh, she spilled her guts.

"Okay, well, I know I have no claim on what you do or shouldn't even be concerned about it, but I saw you having lunch with another woman today. I was across the street with my friends and I couldn't help but notice how… well, friendly you were being… with her, that is." Surprisingly, that felt good to get off of her chest. Although, that feeling didn't last very long once he started laughing. "What's so funny?"

It took him a minute to quiet his chuckles. And even then, his shoulders still shook with laughter. "Has anyone ever told you that you're very cute when you're jealous?"

She didn't know whether to be flattered or offended. Flattered because he'd called her cute; offended because he'd been laughing at her.

Wiping at the tears in his eyes, he shook his head at her as he reached out to grab her hand. She tried to pull away, but he held tight. "So, that's why you've been giving me the cold shoulder? Because I had lunch with an old friend?"

"Friend?"

He nodded. "Uh-huh. And before you ask, she's happily married."

Her cheeks blazed at that fact. It had been the one thing she hadn't considered. "So, I just looked like an idiot." Yeah, there was no better feeling than the heat of embarrassment.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah. But a very cute idiot."

She licked her parched lips and entwined her fingers behind her back. "So, do you think we could just forget this ever happened?"

He shook his head, a note of teasing visible in his eyes. "Not a chance."

"I was afraid of that." And then all of a sudden, she found herself laughing. "I feel really stupid right now."

"Don't," he reassured her. "I should have told you."

She shook her head. "Why would you have to? It's not like you and I are officially an item or anything. I don't even know why I let it bother me so much." She shrugged and tried to just shrug it all off.

"I probably would have felt the same way if I'd been in your place."

She blinked owlishly up at him. It thrilled her more than surprised her and it took all of her effort to choke out her next words. "You would?" He nodded. "Why?"

"Because I like you, Tara. A lot." She just continued to stare up at him like this was some big revelation for her. He tried to hide his humor, but it escaped him in silent laughter.

"I feel like I've suddenly gone back to junior high," she mused allowed and was mortified when she actually realized that. But, Matt didn't seem fazed by her words, so she just continued with her train of thought. "You're not going to ask me to go steady, are you?" 'Cause that would just end up making things even weirder.

He thought about that for a second. "Maybe," was his response. "But how about we talk about this a little bit more over dinner?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Her cheeks blossomed with color. How could she turn down an offer like that? "Okay," she agreed. "But make sure you get me home before curfew."

He chuckled as he stood up from the desk, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as they left the bullpen, turning off the lights on the way out.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Devotion**

**Chapter Fourteen**

"I'm glad we could do this," Kara smiled as she settled into her seat.

Danni smiled in return, yet her eyes were focused outside the window and on the black SUV that was pulling out of the parking lot. Two large men in suits and dark sunglasses had dropped Kara off, acting like she was the most precious cargo they'd ever handled. And sadly, she could only raise an eyebrow in question.

Kara blushed when she realized what Danni wasn't asking. "We're having a bit of trouble at the club, lately. It's just a precaution."

"I hope it's nothing too serious." Danni took a sip of her iced tea to hide the sarcasm she knew was written all over her face.

Kara shrugged as she picked up her menu. "We just have a few people sticking their noses in where they don't belong."

Danni sputtered into her glass and coughed into her napkin, wiping at the excess liquid that had dribbled down her chin. She didn't know how to respond to Kara, so she just kept quiet, thankful when their waitress finally arrived.

"Hello, my name is Tara and I will be your server tonight." She gave a kind smile and shot Danni a quick wink as Kara decided on what she wanted to eat.

Placing their orders, Tara went off to put in their food order while the other two women began talking about the past. Memories flooded back in a tidal wave for both women and soon they found themselves each recalling their favorite moments during their friendship and laughing about them.

It was when their food arrived that the topic shifted. Kara forked a couple of gnocchi and lifted them to her mouth. "So, have you thought about my offer to perform at the club?"

"I've thought about it and I talked it over with my husband last night." Danni shrugged her shoulders, but didn't give a concrete answer as she dug into her side salad.

"And?"

"He thinks it's a good idea, but like I said, I haven't done it in a long time." No matter what, it still wasn't a 'no' and Kara would more than likely continue to ask until she gave in. "Give me a little more time to consider it."

Kara Lynn nodded in agreement as she tore off a piece of garlic bread and chewed. "So, how long have you been married?"

Danni smiled into her glass. Why did she have the feeling that that was a question Kara had wanted to ask since they saw each other yesterday? "About a year and a half."

"And you're happy?"

It was a strange question to be asked, but Danni answered anyway. "Yes… especially now." Resting her hand over her swollen belly, her smile grew wider as the nudger within gave a kick. But Kara Lynn wasn't smiling. In fact, all of the light had suddenly left her eyes, replaced with a heavy shadow. "You and Kyle don't have any children?"

Kara shook her head as she tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "No. I was pregnant a few months ago, but I… lost the baby."

Danni's heart broke for her old friend. Reaching across the table, she gave the other woman's hand a squeeze and she was relieved when Kara squeezed back. "I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine how hard that was for you."

"It was rough for a while, but we managed to pull through." Her voice was thickly laced with emotion and Danni thought she saw the sheen of tears in her brown eyes. "Kyle seemed to take it the worst, though."

"How so?" Kara Lynn just shook her head, refusing to answer. Whether it was because her emotions were getting the best of her or something else, Danni wasn't certain and she knew she couldn't asked. So she didn't. "Listen, if you ever need to talk, I'm willing to listen. I know that a comforting ear can be the best therapy for a person when you go through something terrible." She began to reach into her purse, but the snort that came from the other woman stopped her.

"How could you possibly understand, Danni?" Tears laced Kara's voice as they shimmered in her eyes, but none had yet fallen. "Your life has always been perfect. Perfect family, good friends, a career just waiting for you…" Her tone was becoming angry, yet her voice never raised more than a whisper.

Danni wanted to be angry too, but she knew she couldn't. Not just because of the case, but because of the fact that it would get them nowhere. Besides, Kara was right. "It might have seemed that way back in high school, but that's not how it turned out." She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. So many years after the attack, she could still remember every minute detail of that night, down to the smell of the cologne Jessop had been wearing. "When I was nineteen, I was attacked." Kara's eyes focused on her instantly and she knew she had audience that wanted to hear what she had to say.

And Danni told her everything. Including the incident that had happened three years ago.

"I didn't know," Kara said after a few minutes of silence. Danni had given her that time for her to wrap her mind around the whole ordeal.

"How could you? Only a handful of people know. Only the people I care about know, because they deserve to." The confusion on the other woman's face made Danni smile. "And believe it or not, I do still care about you, Kara. You were my best friend. You knew more about me than anyone else. It's only fair that you know that too."

Kara Lynn had gone quite again and Danni took that opportunity to go into her purse and pull out what she'd reached for before. Removing a small white business card, she held it out for her old friend to take. Just in case.

Kara accepted it, reading the name embossed on the front. "Jack Hudson, Attorney?"

Nodding, Danni picked her fork back up and twirled some of her spaghetti around it. "It's my husband's firm. You can reach me at that number during the day. My cell phone number is on the back as well if you'd rather talk to me while away from the office."

The black SUV then pulled back into the parking lot and the two large men climbed out. Kara sighed heavily at the sight. "I guess that's my cue."

Tossing a few bills on the table, Danni nodded, grabbing her purse. "I'll walk out with you." She made one final swipe of her mouth with her napkin before shuffling out of the booth. Once outside, she smiled at the dark haired man leaning against a nearby car and tried not to laugh. Jack stood there, trying to do the same. "What are you doing here? I would have walked back." After all, their "office" was only a few short blocks away.

He shrugged and walked up to greet her with a kiss to the top of her head. "I was in the neighborhood, so I figured I'd see if you wanted a lift."

She giggled in response. "How sweet," she said before turning to Kara Lynn who was still standing beside her. "Kara, I'd like you to meet my husband, Jack. Jack, this is Kara. She's the one I told you about."

"The one from yesterday at the market?" he asked, receiving a nod from both women. "It's good to meet you. Danni hasn't stopped talking about you since then."

"All good things, I hope," Kara managed to tease, her emotional outburst quelled for the time being.

Danni shrugged, a teasing glint shimmering in her eyes. "Maybe." And she received a jab from Kara's elbow for that remark.

She sighed as she glanced over at her awaiting ride. The two sentinels stood like statues as they waited for her to climb into the car. "I should get going."

It was Danni's turned to reach out and give her friend a hug. "It's been really great seeing you again. And remember what I told you."

Nodding, Kara smiled. "I will," she said before shifting her gaze to Jack. "It was nice meeting you."

He nodded in response. "You too."

Danni gave her one last hug before letting her go. Both she and Jack waited and watched as she walked to the SUV, glancing back at them only when she was prepared to climb inside. She smiled at Danni once more before the door was closed and the two men climbed in, driving off a few seconds later.

* * *

><p>Danni sighed as she took in a deep breath of air. A cool breeze ruffled her dark blond locks and she brushed them out of her eyes as she stared off into the distance, her eyes focusing on a mother meandering down the sidewalk, pushing a stroller.<p>

She'd learned a lot this afternoon. And it was mostly because of the things that Kara hadn't been saying. The fact that her old friend had lost a child was terrible, but she had the feeling that there was more to that story. But she had to ask herself if she really wanted to know the truth.

Honestly? She wasn't sure.

Groaning, she rested her head against the building. She hated being so judgmental; especially to someone who she was so close to. She should have expected this, though. Kara was part of a case. If she was just any other person, she probably would have been considered a suspect just as much as Kyle was.

Danni really hated that fact too.

She sighed again. Maybe she was getting too close to this case. Maybe her connection to Kara was blinding her from the truth. And maybe they were missing something because of it.

Yeah, and maybe she was reading too much into it. She had to treat this like any other case. She needed to look at the clues and connect the dots. She couldn't let her feelings get in the way.

Rolling her eyes at herself, she pushed herself off the wall and straightened her jacket before heading inside.

The moment she entered the bullpen, she was wrapped up in a warm hug. "You did great, luv," Bobby whispered into her hair.

She smiled and buried her face into his chest. "Thanks," she said once she pulled away and turned toward Tara. "Thanks for being there as back up." Not only had it made Bobby relax, but her as well.

The techie shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "Not a problem. By the way, you stiffed me on my tip."

That made Danni laugh. "How about I buy you a coffee tomorrow and we call it even?"

Tara thought about that for a second. "I can deal with that."

Jack shook his head as he tried to get the room back into order. "Okay, so what have we learned today?"

"Nothing, really," Myles spoke up. "Except for maybe the reason for Marshall's wandering eye." How many men had he met that had strayed from his marriage vows because his wife had either had a child or lost one? Probably too many to count.

Danni scoffed as she removed her jacket. "I wouldn't count on that." The man had always had an eye for the ladies.

That seemed to catch Bobby's attention and she could clearly see the jealousy reflected in his eyes. "Speaking from experience?"

She rolled her eyes. "Please. I just got over morning sickness. I don't need anything else that might make me toss my cookies." But, that answer didn't seem to erase her husband's curiosity. She decided to ignore it for now.

"Tara, what about you?" Jack asked, wanting to keep the information flowing.

She looked up from her computer with that extra special light in her eyes. "Actually, I just learned quite a bit." She was met by curious expressions, so she typed something into her computer as she put something up on the flatscreen. "Something about this case sounded familiar, so I decided to look it up. Let's just say that Kyle Marshall killed Laurel Baxter. She wasn't his first victim."

The room suddenly went quiet as everyone stared at her. "What do you mean?" Sue asked.

"Two months ago, there was a similar case added into Metro's database. The locations are different and they were killed two different ways. But there was one similarity." She held up one finger for emphasis.

Lucy looked up at the television screen, her eyes wide at the image displayed there. "The necklace."


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Devotion**

**Chapter Fifteen**

The club was alive with activity when Bobby and Myles entered. 'Frost' was up on stage, rehearsing her routine while people bustled to and fro in a frenzy to get everything set up for the evening.

Marshall lounged in his usual seat, looking rather bored as his wife went through her full act on stage. It was a complete contrast to the look on the slimeball's face the last time they were here. Although, whenever a cute girl walked by his sight line, his eyes certainly did brighten up.

Myles and Bobby shared a glance as they both noticed, each disgusted by the gangster wannabe's actions right in front of the woman he supposedly loved. Or at least had at one point. Myles had even clenched his fists in anger, unable to believe that at one point, he would have been lumped together with the useless pile of pond scum.

Shaking their heads, they each showed their badges to the large goon at the entrance to the dining room and waited—as requested—as he went to get the boss.

Kyle acted like his day had suddenly gone from bad to worse when he saw them. With a roll of his eyes, he stood up from his chair and trudged over to them. "Agent Manning, Agent Leland, to what do I owe the… pleasure?" It was obvious that he was trying to be civil, but the exasperated look in his eyes told them that his mood was already wearing thin.

Myles smirked as he slipped his badge back into the inside pocket of his jacket, switching it with a photograph. "Kyle, Kyle, Kyle," he tsked with a shake of his head. "You lied to us."

Arching an eyebrow, his gaze shifted from one agent to the other. "About what?"

The Bostonian held up the photograph to which the man in question just rolled his eyes at. "Recognize this?"

"Haven't we already had this conversation? I don't know how Laurel Baxter ended up with it."

"What about Jessica Cline?" Bobby asked. He smirked as he watched Kyle's blue eyes go wide for only a second before that impenetrable mask slipped back over his face.

"Who?"

"Nice try, but you can't back out of this one. The serial number from _this _necklace led back to you again and quite a few more once we were able to get a warrant for your credit card records. It seems you have a habit of purchasing this particular style of necklace in bulk."

"Which is something, I'm sure your wife would find interesting should someone get the inkling to blab."

Bobby was pleased when the yabbo sobered up almost instantly. "What do you want to know?"

"When was the last time you were with Laurel Baxter?" Myles asked.

Kyle sighed as his dropped his arms and perched them on his hips. "I saw her the day that she was killed. Okay? Is that what you want to hear?"

"It depends," Bobby replied. "Where did the two of you meet?"

"And when?" Myles added.

"It was after her Business Law class… around three o'clock… in the park." Bobby and Myles's eyes shot up in wonder, but he acted quickly to dispel anything else that they might be thinking. "I told her it was over. Kara… she was beginning to suspect and I…"

"Figured you'd move on to greener pastures?" Myles couldn't hold back the sneer that curled at the corner of his mouth. This man made his skin crawl.

"It wasn't like that."

"And just what was it like?" Bobby question, skeptically.

Kyle straightened up and looked the taller man in the eye. His demeanor suddenly switched like a channel on the television. "I don't have to defend my actions to you people. What I do is my own business."

"Not when it leads to murder," Myles countered. He liked the fear he saw in Marshall's eyes.

"I didn't kill anyone."

"Tell it to the judge," Bobby said, reaching for his handcuffs and strapping them to the other man's wrists.

* * *

><p>"Hey, D, why so glum?" Myles asked as he and Bobby reentered the bullpen. They'd been all smiles and laughter, until they saw the grim expression on their supervisor's face.<p>

"Yeah, one more slime's just been pulled off the streets. You know, I kind of feel like celebrating." Bobby turned to Danni's desk to suggest dinner out, but it was empty; as was Sue's. Curious, he glanced around for an answer, but he didn't receive one until D decided to deliver his bad news.

Sighing heavily, he crossed his arms over his chest as he glanced from one team member to the next. He wasn't angry or disappointed in his team. He was just frustrated with the way the system worked. "Marshall is going to be released."

The whole room was aghast at the news, no one really sure of what to say.

"Why?" Jack, the first to find his voice, asked. "That man's guilty of something, D, and you know it." Just because they weren't exactly sure of what, it didn't mean he should be back out on the streets already.

D nodded. "I know, but the problem is that there's absolutely no proof."

"Then this is the perfect time to find it," Myles replied defensively.

"Look, I don't like this any more than you do, but unless we find valid proof in the next twenty minutes, he's going to be released without a blemish on his record."

Tara, whose head had been tucked away behind her computer, stood up with a grin. "What if I told you that Jessica Cline, our supposed first victim, was pregnant with Kyle Marshall's baby?"

Myles had just shrugged his jacket from his shoulders as she said that. Stopping, he turned to stare at her incredulously. "Please, tell me you're joking."

She shook her head, though she couldn't quite believe it herself. "According to the Coroner's report, she was only a few weeks pregnant and DNA matched a sample he'd freely given." And yet he'd still gotten off. Sometimes the system wasn't fair.

Blinking, the Bostonian shook his head and removed his jacket the rest of the way. "I suddenly feel like I've walked into a soap opera."

Bobby slapped him on the shoulder, sympathetically. "I know the feeling. All we're missing is an evil twin."

"What about Laurel Baxter?" Jack asked, shaking his head at his teammates, though a smile glimmered in his eyes.

"Well, we already know her life was a soap opera," Myles mumbled, knowing that hadn't been what Jack was referring to.

Tara's shoulders lifted and dropped in a shrug. "We haven't received the Coroner's full medical report. So far, all we have is the Cause of Death, which could be figured out just my looking at her." The look in her eyes told them all that she wished she had more to report.

Bobby was curious about the look in Jack's eyes. He seemed to be putting pieces together in his mind. He just hoped they formed some sort of picture. "What are you thinking, Mate?"

"I'm thinking that these two girls might have found themselves in a predicament that they weren't certain about. So, they go to the one man they believe they can trust. After all, he was willing to cheat on his so-called wife so that they could be together, so of course he would understand how a child could get added to the mix."

"And he decides that he can't live with the burden of having a child out of wedlock with a woman—or in this case, possibly two women—who wasn't his wife?" D surmised thoughtfully. "It makes sense." But then he shook his head. "It's still speculation, though. The Assistant US Attorney is looked for cold hard facts."

"But, would it at least be good enough to detain him for a few hours more?" Tara asked.

D knew she was hopeful and he hated to take that all away from her. "Nope. Sorry guys."

There was a collective groan from the group and spirits suddenly sunk lower than before. As they sat there, each trying to think of a way to keep this slime ball behind bars, it was Bobby who broke the silence.

"Where are Danni and Sue?"

* * *

><p>"Thanks for backing me up on this," Danni told Sue as they got off the elevator behind a tall male orderly. She was going out on a limb, here; she knew that, but there was just something about Kara's story that didn't sit right with her.<p>

"Danni, if your gut is telling you something's wrong, then you have to listen to it. Though, I still don't understand how it led you to the hospital."

"According to Tara, this is the hospital Kara was taken to when she lost her baby."

Sue studied her cousin for a moment. The look in her eyes was sad and yet still so judgmental. "So, so think she lied about it?"

Danni wasn't quite sure how to answer that. "She wasn't lying," she said after a minute, "but something is still off. I just wish I could figure it out." It was like she was either hiding something, or she was too afraid to tell her.

Approaching the nurse's station, they were met by an older woman with blond hair and glasses. She looked to be in her early- to mid-forties with the tiniest reflection of laugh lines around her eyes.

"Excuse me?" Danni addressed her as she pulled her badge from her coat pocket and showing it to her. "I'm Agent Talbot and this is Analyst Hudson with the FBI. We were wondering if you could help us."

The woman behind the counter blinked at her, almost in shock of what to say. The FBI at _her _station? She didn't know whether to be terrified or excited. "What can I help you with?"

"We were wondering if it would be possible to see a former patient's charts. She was admitted a few months ago for a possible miscarriage." Sue smiled sweetly at the nurse, but she was met with eyes cold as steel, yet still laced with sympathy.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot divulge that information."

Danni cursed under her breath. She was hoping that stupid confidentiality card wouldn't be played. It always went so much smoother when it wasn't. "What if I told you that we're working on a very vital case and whatever information you could give us just might blow the whole thing wide open?" People were usually excited when agents talked like that. But not nurse "Jackie", as her nametag revealed.

"I still couldn't tell you without proper notification."

Danni turned to Sue with a look of frustration and resignation. She was all out of ideas. But by the look in Sue's eyes, she had one more trick up her sleeve.

Changing tactics, Sue removed a picture from her pocket and showed it to the nurse. "Do you recognize this woman?" She smiled at Danni as she was met with curious eyes. "**Backup plan**," was all she signed to her cousin and winked.

Danni was willing to give it a chance, so she gave Sue the stage.

Arching a single eyebrow, Nurse Jackie decided to humor the two women. She looked at the picture and the light bulb in her head instantly turned on. "I remember her," was all she said, a smartaleck smile gracing her features, despite the fact that her tone was laced with sadness.

"What can you tell us about her from her… erm, stay, here?" Danni asked.

The nurse rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You know, there is a little something called doctor-patient confidentiality." And because of that, she wouldn't tell these two… feds—as they called themselves—anything that would break that contract.

"But, you're not a doctor." Sue knew she had her there. Nurse Jackie had taken the bait; hook, line, and sinker.

And she knew it too. Glancing around the make certain there weren't any prying eyes or ears, she conceded. "I could lose my job if anyone ever found out I told you."

Sue smiled triumphantly. "We really appreciate it and we promise that the information you give us will be completely anonymous." She looked at Danni for confirmation and the agent just nodded in agreement considering her words had very little in getting the dragon lady behind the desk to talk.

Sighing, Nurse Jackie nodded, laughing at herself in her mind for allowing herself to be led into such an obvious trap. "If you give me her name, I'll copy her file for you."

"We'll wait," Danni said eagerly, smiling her thanks as she scribbled down Kara's name. The nurse turned and looked for the hardcopy of the file. Smiling at her cousin, Danni signed, "**You're good**."

Sue shrugged. "**I try**."


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Devotion**

**Chapter Sixteen**

Spearing a piece of potato, Bobby lifted it to his mouth as he looked across the table at his wife. She had taken a few bites of her dinner, but now she just moved her grilled green bean spears from one side of her plate to the other. She looked deep in thought and lost at the same time.

This case was difficult for her. She wanted to be there for an old friend, yet she couldn't deny her gut instincts or the oath she'd made to serve justice. He didn't want to be in her shoes and he wanted to help her in any way that he could.

Reaching across the small table, he wrapped his fingers around hers and waited for her eyes to meet his. "Wanna talk about it?"

She shrugged, unsure of what to say. "What's the point?" she asked as she nibbled on one of the spears she'd been playing plate-hockey with.

"Because I know it would make you feel better." It might make him feel better too.

She rolled her eyes and dropped her fork onto the table top in exasperation. It landed with a _clang, _but the restaurant was so busy that no one around them had heard. "I just don't get how the AUSA could let Kyle back out on the streets."

Bobby gave a smirk and squeezed her hand again for support. "Luv, you heard what D said. We didn't have enough evidence to keep him in custody." Even what she'd found in the hospital wouldn't have been enough, but he didn't want to be the one to tell her that.

"It just makes me so angry that despite everything he's done to Kara that he can still walk free." And she has to go through each and every day with so much pain and deceit.

He furrowed his brow in confusion. She hadn't been thinking this way before her and Sue's little trip to the hospital. "Does this have something to do with what you found out at the hospital?" The look she shot him told him it did. "Okay… well, what makes you think he had something to do with it?" The next look she shot him told him he was Oh for two. Breathing deeply, he took a deep drink from his glass of wine.

Boy, did he really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut.

"I always thought he was bad news, but I never really knew how much until today." Tears clouded her vision and she hurried to wipe them away. Kara had indeed lost her baby, but it wasn't because of the reasons Danni had first believed. Her friend had taken a tumble down the stairs and the injuries she'd sustained…

She swallowed thickly and quickly took a drink of water. She didn't want to even think about it anymore. Shaking it all away, she looked up at Bobby in apology.

"I'm sorry, Luv," she whispered, picking lightly at her fingernails. "I know I shouldn't be obsessing over this…"

He shifted his chair closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "But, you can't help it," he finished for her. "I know. And, believe it or not, that's what I love about you." He placed a light kiss upon her temple. "But, we've been talking about this all day. How about we talk about something else?" His eyes were pleading and he even resorted to sticking out his lower lip.

Chuckling, she nodded in agreement. "Okay. No more. I promise."

"Good," he said, picking up her fork and handing it back to her. "Now, eat. You need to keep up your strength."

She couldn't tell whether there was a double meaning to his words or not. Staring at him with a raised eyebrow, she couldn't hold back her smile. "Oh really?"

He waggled his eyebrows suggestively in her direction and lifted a forkful of peas to his mouth. "Really."

Her smile quickly turned to laughter. "You have peas in your teeth," she chuckled before shoveling a forkful of mashed potatoes into her awaiting mouth.

* * *

><p>Conversation turned light. After Danni's little breakdown, talking about work was out of the question. Instead, she and Bobby began to focus on themselves; a rarity these days. Through the rest of dinner, they talked about baby furniture and how each of them would like to decorate the nursery.<p>

After Bobby had said something about having kangaroos everywhere, Danni had needed to change the subject. And by that time, dessert had arrived.

So, they sat there like that, talking and planning and it wasn't long before Bobby saw his wife return to him. She was happy and smiling and so beautiful that she took his breath away.

Soon there was only one bite of Danni's triple-layered chocolate fudge cake left and she wasn't sure she could eat it. She knew if she tried, she'd pay for it either later with severe heartburn—of course, everything she ate these days gave her heartburn—or she'd pay at her next doctor's visit. She'd been able to maintain a stable weight throughout her pregnancy so far, but this would probably tip the scale in the wrong direction. Still, the chocolaty goodness of that last little piece taunted her. It teased her.

Finally, she could take it no more.

She went in for the kill…

…And her fork met with nothing but empty plate.

She glanced over at Bobby, his fork still in his mouth and the smallest hint of chocolate gracing his lower lip. He blinked at her, his eyes wide. "Where you going to eat that?" he tried to say around the ooey, gooey decadence of the creamiest and delicious dessert he'd ever had.

"I was thinking about it," she scolded, lightly, yet she couldn't bring herself to actually be mad at him. In fact, she found herself laughing. "And, uh, shouldn't you be watching your cholesterol?" She arched an eyebrow in wonder, even if one little bite of dessert wasn't going to make it slingshot up as high as it had once been.

"One little bite isn't going to hurt," he argued and she smiled as their thoughts crossed along the same path. "Besides, I've been good. I've been eating my Cheerios."

Chuckling, she set her fork down and rested her chin in her hand. "Yeah, I'll remember that the next time you come to bed with cinnamon glaze on your breath."

"If you don't want me eating it, you never should make it," he countered pointedly as he leaned back into his chair, his hands folded contently over his stomach.

"We sound like an old married couple," she grinned. And truth be told, she loved every minute of it.

"Well, we kind of are."

She arched an eyebrow in suspicion, though she couldn't keep the humor from glittering in her eyes. "Did you just call me old?"

His response to her teasing was a light chuckle before he reached out to touch her cheek. "If you still look this beautiful when we're old and grey, I won't be complaining."

She ducked her head as heat crept up to her cheeks, looking at him over the tops of her lashes. "I love you, Bobby," she whispered as her hand covered his and held it in place.

His dimples were visible in his grin as his eyes searched hers. "I know. And I'm never letting you forget that, either." He was holding her to that "'Til death do us part" part of their wedding vows. She just smiled in return and there was something about it that caused his heart to skitter at an abnormal rhythm. "What do you say we get out of here?" She nodded and reached for her jacket as he motioned for their waiter to bring them the check.

* * *

><p>They were out on the streets a few moments later. The lights from the street lamps lighting their path toward their car which was a few blocks away. The moon was also full tonight. If every light in the city suddenly went dark, the moon would be able to guide them.<p>

Danni had always looked so beautiful in the moonlight. And tonight was no exception. Her caramel blond locks shimmered in the luminosity of the silver orb hanging in the sky. Her eyes sparkled with a liveliness Bobby hadn't seen for almost a week.

She was a vision and he was mesmerized by her.

He stumbled over his own feet as she smiled at him and that was as much as he could take. Thank goodness there was light foot traffic on that sidewalk, because he'd stopped dead in his tracks, his hand holding tightly onto hers.

Puzzled, she looked back at him, wondering why he'd stopped. "Bobby?"

He didn't say anything to her. Words meant absolutely nothing at this moment and even if they had, he wouldn't be able to think of anything to say. So, just to be safe, he allowed his lips to express his feelings in other ways.

Giving a good tug on her arm, he drew her to him, his free hand wrapping securely around her waist. He looked down at the instant excitement in her eyes and he was lost.

His lips found hers milliseconds later.

She was startled by his sudden attack but she couldn't complain even if she wanted to. His hold on her waist was tight; almost desperate, life if he were to let her go, she would vanish.

His mouth was demanding; hot. His kiss was intoxicating, like a drug. He dipped and nipped and soothed, driving her totally wild in the process as he carefully stoked the fires within them both.

They each raged to life as his hands skimmed along her spine, causing her to gasp with pleasure. He took advantage of her opening up to him and allowed his tongue to slip inside. She met it with great fervor, getting lost in his touches and kisses until she forgot where they stood.

It was only when they came up for air did she remember where they were. She wanted to question what had suddenly gotten into him, to even say anything, but her brain was so addled by the fog of passion that she could only stand there and giggle.

"I'm sorry" he apologized in a breathless whisper, though his eyes revealed that he wasn't really sorry at all. He didn't care where they were or even who was walking by at that moment to see them. All that mattered at that moment was the two of them. "You are just so beautiful."

Danni couldn't stop herself from giggling like a school girl, as much as she tried. She even bit her lip to keep quiet, yet even that didn't work. "I hope you still think that way in a few months when my ankles are swollen and my stomach gets so big that I can't see my toes anymore." It wasn't like that was a big stretch. She was already having trouble seeing her toes.

He lightly cupped her chin, his thumb running absentmindedly along the gentle curve of her lower lip. "You'll always be beautiful to me."

Danni gave a shiver as she looked up into the fiery passion burning in his eyes. Her stomach flipped and flopped in response and her already shallow breaths were almost nonexistent. "I hope you're not just saying that because you're looking to get lucky tonight," she teased, using humor as a shield to prevent herself from doing something very inappropriate in a public place. The way he was looking at her, meshed with the light filtering off the moon… it was enough for her passion to burn white hot for him.

"Is it working?" he teased in return, winking for emphasis.

"Oh, yeah." No use keeping up pretenses when her brain was in the process of shutting down on her right then and there.

He chuckled and wrapped her up in a hug. "Let's go home," he whispered sultrily in her ear.

She felt her knees tremble as his hands slid along her back, shoulders, and arms. One had even been brave enough to cup her rear and give a tender squeeze. She couldn't speak the next time she looked at him. She only nodded in response and allowed him to kiss her one last time before leading her to their vehicle.

Bobby was too busy helping her up into their new SUV to notice a dark sedan sitting just a few yards away, which had sat there the entire time they were inside at dinner. He was too busy giving his wife a few more kisses to realize that neither of the two occupants of the car had gotten out. And he was too eager to get home to notice that the passenger had a wide-lens camera pointed right in their direction, photographing every single move they made.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Devotion**

**Chapter Seventeen**

The soft rays of the morning's first light drew her out of her peaceful slumber, forcing her to greet a new day. Peering out at the sunrise, she groaned and wished that it would just go away. The bed was far too comfy and the company too good to ignore.

Of course, he was still asleep.

But, not for long.

She smiled evilly as she gently reached out to touch his chest. He shifted, but didn't awaken. Keeping close watch on his face, she let the tips of her fingers dance ever so lightly across his solid pectorals.

She teased and tickled, working her way to slowly rouse him from his dreams. Her nimble fingers moved left and right, up and down. She felt his rumble of a moan at that last movement.

His feet shifted underneath the blankets, but the steadiness of his breathing told her he was still deeply asleep.

She then added her lips to the mix, trailing them across the bare part of his torso that wasn't hidden underneath the covers. Every few, she would increase the pressure or nip lightly at a perfectly delectable piece of flesh or maybe even brush the tip of her tongue against a particularly sensitive spot.

He was moving more now, his breathing becoming shallower as he reached out for her.

She allowed him to place his hand at her waist as she watched and waited for his eyes to open. But they didn't. And not to be deterred, she upped the ante.

Her lips moved higher, skimming against the column of his throat. She smiled as he groaned and tightened his hold on her. He wasn't quite awake yet, but he would be soon.

"Wake up, sweetheart," she whispered in his ear, hoping it was that husky tone he told her always drove him wild. His eyelids flickered like they wanted to open, but they still remained closed. She rolled her eyes. Now he was playing with her. But that was okay, because she could play just as dirty. "Jack," she called again as her one hand trailed down the length of his bare torso. The tips of her fingers had just dipped underneath the duvet before he reached up to stop her.

Her eyes shot down to look at her hand being held in his and then shot back up to connect with his. They were still clouded with sleep and his touch was warm and lazy. "I was having such a good dream," he told her as he brought her hand up to his lips. He graced each knuckle with a heated caress of his mouth, treating the pads of her fingers in the same way.

His tactics were almost as good as hers. The sensations he was invoking from just kissing and nipping at her fingers traveled throughout her entire body and to the tips of her toes. "About what?" She arched an eyebrow in amusement. By the look in his eyes, she could figure out just exactly what they'd been about.

His touch became bolder as it slid across her flat tummy. "I can show you if you're really interested."

She squirmed underneath his touch and curled up against his side, her lips searching for his. "I wish you would."

Jack smiled as he bridged the gap between them. Their lips connected and the familiar jolt of electricity shocked through them both. His hand tangled in her hair, cupping the back of her head and pulling her as close and physically possible. He groaned as their bodies melted together; flesh to flesh, heart to heart.

This was absolutely perfect, but they each needed more.

Sue opened up to him, allowing his tongue to cross the gap and join in their seductive dance. Her snaked around his back, the strength of the muscles of his back rock hard underneath her palms.

Jack shivered as he made love to with wife. The feelings she invoked within him were something he'd never experienced before. Everything with Sue was new, more exciting.

Soon, it got to the point that he heard bells of warning. And it was strange because he hadn't heard those bells since before they were married. He wanted to ignore them. He _tried _to ignore them. But he couldn't.

He pulled away from her with a groan, taking in some much-needed oxygen. And he still continued to hear the bells. It took him a moment to finally realize that his cell phone was ringing.

"Jack?" she asked, wondering why he'd pulled away.

Rolling his eyes in exasperation, he reached for his phone. But, he didn't answer it straight away. "I promise we'll continue this later." He kissed her to seal the deal and almost didn't pull away in time to answer the call. "Hudson," he growled out, hating to be interrupted during something so very critical to a newlywed.

The tenseness in his shoulders vanished in an instant and his eyes widened as he listened to the caller on the other end.

"**What's wrong**?"Sue signed. He held up a finger, telling her to wait as he got the few last minute details. The call was over as quickly as it began and Sue shivered when the warmth of his body suddenly disappeared. Sitting up, she watched as he began to search from his clothes. His lips were moving, but she couldn't understand what he was saying. "Jack, I don't know what you're saying."

That got his attention. Pulling on his sweatpants, he quickly apologized. "**Sorry**. We've gotta go. Danni got a call this morning. Kara wants to meet with her."

Sue was out of bed in an instant, searching for her own clothes. She had them all gathered together when Jack reached out to her. Blinking, she could only stare up at him.

His lips came crashing down again and Sue couldn't contain her own passion. She matched him move for move until she felt the bedroom wall at her back. Jack made sure to keep a bit of distance between them, though, lest he forget the reason why they had to continue this. "Later," he promised before disappearing into the bathroom.

"Definitely," she breathed, leaning the back of her head against the wall as she fought to catch her breath.

* * *

><p>"So, this was a surprise," Danni said as she removed her coat and settled into the booth across from Kara. Her old friend looked different today. Her eyes were set in a cold stare and her posture was rigid. She looked like she wanted to get this over with and get out as fast as she could. "What's up?"<p>

Kara said nothing as their waitress walked up. She even refused to order anything while Danni asked for a cup of hot chocolate. It was only after their waitress had gone did Kara begin the speech she'd long rehearsed.

"Something was brought to my attention last night and I need to talk to you about it."

Lifting an eyebrow curiously, Danni asked, "What is it?"

"First, I suppose you heard that Kyle was arrested yesterday." It was more of a statement than a question and she matched it with an accusing stare.

Feigning ignorance was the best thing Danni could think of. The news of Kyle's arrest hadn't been made public, so why would Kara suspect that she knew? "Why?"

A dark eyebrow shot up in question, her gaze still cold. "You really had no idea?"

Danni shrugged, "How could I? I mean, unless it was on the news or something." She had the feeling that she was crashing and burning, here. There was more to this conversation than she was being told.

"So, that's how this is going to be then?" Danni just stared at her in confusion. Nodding, Kara tucked her tongue into the pocket of her cheek as she fought to stifle the words she really wanted to say while she reached into her purse and removed a manila envelope. "I think you need to look at these." She slid it across the table and leaned back in her seat and just waited.

"What's this?" Danni asked, though deep down she knew her cover had been blown. But how? She'd been so careful.

"Open it and find out," Kara barked in return.

Taking in a deep breath, Danni did what was asked of her. She opened the envelope and pulled out its contents. A think stack of photographs rested in her hands then and as she flipped through each one, she could feel her face becoming redder and hotter.

They were pictures of her and Bobby from last night. She closed her eyes and groaned. It had been the only time she'd let her guard down and it was only because the restaurant had been outside the city, away from prying eyes, away from anyone who might know them, and it wasn't very far from home.

They should have known better.

"How did you get these?" she asked with the taste of defeat on her tongue.

Kara shook her head. "That doesn't matter. What does is that I need you to tell me what you know."

What exactly was she asking about? The two murdered girls? The fact that her husband was a suspect? Or how about, deep down, Danni was beginning to believe that Kara was involved in some way?

"I don't know anything."

Kara leaned forward in her seat and lowered her voice so no one around them could hear them. "Oh, come on! Don't you dare lie to me!"

Danni had to think back to her training to come up with a response to that. Interrogation 101, look them in the eye when you lie. "I told you, I don't know anything." This was killing her because she wanted to tell Kara everything. She wanted to tell her that she was FBI and that Kyle was linked to both murders. But she couldn't. Her cover had to remain intact.

"You were caught with one of the agents, Danni. And I haven't even gotten to the fact that the man wasn't even your husband. I wonder what he would say if he saw these."

Danni's eyes widened. She tried to look like she was shocked, but at the same time she was trying not to laugh. There were a few photos in this stack that she didn't even want Bobby to see. "I can explain," she spoke those three little words before she could even think of anything to say.

Kara crossed her arms over her chest, doubtful of the lame excuse Danni would dish out to her. "This should be good."

The edge in the other woman's voice reminded Danni of the last argument they'd ever had; the one that had ended their friendship all those years ago. And it looked like they had come full circle in just a matter of a few days. When this case was over, the bad blood between them would drive a wedge between them once and for all.

But she would worry about that later. Right now, Danni needed to dig herself out of the hole she'd suddenly found herself in.

"This is kind of hard to explain. I don't even know where to begin." She laughed nervously as excuse after excuse ran through her mind, each as ridiculous as the last. "Bobby is Jack's best friend."

"And he's apparently a good friend to you as well." There was proof of it, especially in the one photo where his tongue was dancing its way along the curve of her neck and his hand was settled securely on her rear.

"It's not what you're thinking. We never actually intended for anything to actually happen… but there was this one week that Jack was away on business and he sent Bobby over to check on me. He seemed to think that I needed some sort of male protection around while he was gone." Did this sound as ridiculous to Kara as it did to her?

"And things just happened?" Kara's tone was skeptical as was the smirk that formed on her lips. Danni just nodded. Watching her carefully, she saw the guilt visible in those crystal blue eyes and the droop of defeat to her shoulders. She wanted to think that Danni was lying to her, but she couldn't help but believe her. "So, you really don't know anything?"

She shook her head, but she couldn't help but wonder. "Why is it so important to you?"

That question seemed to strike a nerve with Kara. She visibly stiffened and dropped her arms to the table top. "I can't tell you."

Puzzled by the sudden change, Danni reached out to her friend. "Kara, talk to me. What's wrong?"

Kara shook her head and reached for her purse. "I have to go." She shimmied out of the booth and looked down at Danni. "The pictures are yours. There are no negatives."

"So, why threaten me to go to Jack?"

She sighed as she slung her purse over her shoulder. "I needed to make sure I could still trust you." She saw Danni's lost expression, but ignored it. "Maybe I'll see you around." With that, she quickly made her escape, leaving Danni to think about what had just happened.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Devotion**

**Chapter Eighteen**

Danni's thoughts were still clouded with suspicion when she arrived back at the Hoover Building. Kara's reaction was alarming and for her to continuously ask what she knew had thrown her off. Not the question, itself but her body language as she asked it.

Her facial features and posture had both been angry, but her eyes had been shadowed by fear. And she'd been picking at her fingernails whenever she had the chance. It was a sure sign that she'd been worried about something.

And Danni wasn't so sure it was just about Kyle anymore.

The elevator dinged for her floor and the doors opened. She'd been hoping no one would be waiting for her. But of course she couldn't be so lucky.

Sue was waiting for her, a look of relief on her face when she finally saw her cousin. "There you are. I was getting worried."

Danni smiled half-heartedly as she walked out into the hallway. "Yeah I decided to take the scenic route back." She shrugged as if it was no big deal but it was clear that there was still a heavy weight upon her shoulders.

"Things have changed, haven't they?"

"Big time. But I'm not sure of the reason." Kara was never usually so defensive. It was hard to cope with.

"Have you told Bobby or Jack about your suspicions?"

Just the mention of both men made Danni cringe. How was she going to be able to face them after coming up with that ridiculous story? "No. But, it's only because I'm not even sure what I believe," she hurried to explain when that familiar Thomas stare reared its ugly head. Everyone in their family possessed it, but none of them enjoyed it when it was turned on them.

"You have to tell them."

"I will," she assured. "As soon as I figure things out." She flashed Sue a smile as she turned and began walking to the bullpen. The Thomas stare had instantly turned into the Hudson one at her statement and she could still feel it burning into the back of her head as she walked.

She couldn't understand. Danni was used to doing things on her own. This whole team thing was new to her. Sure, she'd had one while working at Metro, but even there it was still every man for himself. She would tell the rest of the team once she sorted everything out.

She just hoped Kara wasn't the suspect she was turning out to be.

"How did the guys manage today?" she asked just outside the bullpen.

The look in Sue's eyes was indiscernible. "I think they should tell you the good news."

Danni wasn't so sure she wanted to know. "Is that good news as in 'good news' or good news as in 'we'd better hope for a miracle'?"

Sue just shrugged as she headed into the room, leaving her cousin to ponder that question on her own. But, of course Danni would want to know, so despite the fact that she was utterly embarrassed, she took in a deep breath and followed.

"There you are," came Lucy's voice from beside Myles' desk. The fact that she'd practically screamed it had startled Danni.

Four sets of eyes turned in her direction and her cheeks instantly flamed in humiliation. "Yeah, sorry. I needed some time to think." She shrugged out of her jacket and hung it up on the hook by her desk. "How did you guys fare?" Myles, Bobby and Jack were all crowded around something and she peered over their shoulders to see, just so she wouldn't have to look at any of them in the eye.

"We were right," Jack said as he straightened up and showed her the evidence photograph in his hand.

"So, you found the gun?" This was good news. They were lucky that Judge Kendall still owed Jack a favor, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to get a warrant for Marshall's SUV—the very same one that Kara had been driving this morning—as fast as they had.

"Yup. Recently fired, too," Myles said, his smile widening the longer he looked at her.

She quickly averted her gaze and found teasing eyes all around her. Closing her own eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose. "So, where do we go from here?"

"Well," Jack began as he leaned his hip against the desk behind him, "we have to wait until the lab results come back to see if it's the gun that killed Laurel Baxter."

"Great," she groaned, her eyes still closed. She hated playing the waiting game.

Bobby turned and perched himself on the edge of his desk as he rubbed at her tight shoulders. She melted instantly into his touch. He knew exactly what to do to ease her tension.

Finally opening her eyes again, she was met with amused expressions all around. Even Sue looked like she was about to burst out laughing. Rolling her eyes, she figured she could take whatever they dished out. "Okay… what?"

Lucy broke into a fit of giggles which she tried to hide behind her hand. Tara was grinning like the Cheshire Cat behind her computer monitor. Her body shook with Bobby's laughter. Jack was looking at Myles with a challenge in his eyes and Leland was staring back with that same challenge.

"Will someone please just say what you want to say and put me out of my misery?" And if Bobby decided to make one comment, he'd better be prepared to sleep on the couch tonight. She rolled her eyes at her own thoughts. Yeah, like that would ever happen.

Lucky for him, though, it was Myles who spoke up. "Um, actually, we were all wondering something… If you're married to Jack and you're having an affair with Bobby, then… whose baby is it?"

She couldn't resist laughing at that question. She had expected some sort of razzing from them, but she was a bit disappointed. "Ha ha ha. Do you feel better now that you've gotten that out of your system?" His shoulders lifted in an amused shrug. "Okay, in my defense, it was the only thing I could think of. So, it was either that, or blow my cover."

"Very effective," Sue teased, trying to keep her smile to herself. Danni just glared at her because she couldn't think of a comeback.

"Definitely," agreed Jack. "Oh, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we need to see those pictures. For evidence-sake of course." His features were poker straight. Not a laugh-line in sight.

Danni stared at him for a minute. He couldn't be serious! Then she saw it. The slightest twitch of his left eyebrow. "Over my dead body."

The group broke out into fits of laughter. And Danni couldn't resist joining in. She leaned against Bobby for support as tears streamed from her eyes.

It took a few minutes for order to be restored and even after it was, a few random chuckles could still be heard. Finally, when she was able to breathe properly again, Danni returned to her desk, but not before Bobby placed a tender kiss to her temple and whispered "good job" in her ear.

* * *

><p>Staring at the building in front of her, she felt lost; betrayed. Everything she'd once known had changed. Her family her husband, even the one woman she'd figured would be there no matter what had changed. Her whole life had changed. And while she'd once thought it was for the better, now she wasn't so sure.<p>

Ray and Nathan stood like sentries at the front door of the club. When had her life come to the point that she needed protected by these huge goons? When had her life gotten to the point that she'd end up lying, cheating or stealing to make sure her place in life was secure?

She sighed and refused to look at herself in the rearview mirror. What had happened to her life?

She laughed at herself. This was certainly to worst time to ask that question.

Uh-oh. Ray was headed over her way. She'd been sitting for far too long and he was coming to see if she was okay. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she grabbed her purse and opened the door. The large goon held it open for her, which she thanked him for as kindly as she could.

"Everything all right, miss?" he asked in his deep, husky tone.

"Is it ever?" she asked him, meeting with her own reflection in his dark sunglasses. A bit useless today when dark storm clouds were looming overhead. He didn't have an answer and she was grateful. Climbing out of the SUV, she sighed and headed inside the club.

The main dining room was quiet. Well, it was always quiet this early in the morning, but today it seemed eerie. It was almost too quiet.

"How did it go?"

She jumped at the sound of Kyle's voice. Her heart had practically jumped into her throat and it was racing so hard. Swallowing, she made sure it was back in its rightful place before she answered him.

"She denied everything."

One of his eyebrows arched in suspicion. "Even knowing the fed?"

"Well, that she admitted to. She says they've been having an affair."

He snorted as his eyes rolled up to the ceiling. "Yeah, like I believe that." He knew people like Danni Talbot. Once a goody-goody, always a goody-goody.

"I've met her husband, Kyle," she reminded him.

He still didn't believe it. "She's connected in some way." How many times had he tried to convince her of that? "Don't be so blinded by the past, Kara. For all you know, she could be one of them." She opened her mouth to protest. "She'll find out the truth one way or another and then you know what's going to happen, don't you?"

She nodded, tears pooling in her eyes. He pulled her to him, enfolding her in his arms to try to chase away the tears. "What are we going to do?"

"We are not going to do anything. I'll handle this."

She looked up at him, her eyes wide and full of fear. The gears were visibly turning in his head. She didn't like it. "Kyle?" What was he going to do?

Kissing the top of her head, he cradled her face in his hands, his eyes cold. "Let me take care of her once and for all."


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Devotion**

**Chapter Nineteen**

The sounds of her footfalls echoed off the pavement. Her breaths escaped her in heavy beats. Her heart rate was elevated as she turned the corner, the house now in sight. Not much farther now.

Jogging had always helped Danni ease her tension. The cool air created from yesterday's rain showers and the beauty of their neighborhood definitely lifted her spirits. And that was something she desperately needed this week.

Slowing her pace, she walked the last few meters to the front walk, checking her heart rate along the way. She breathed deeply while passing by the bright and colorful azalea bushes adorning the mailbox. The sun glistened off its dew-dropped pink and white petals, revealing a few broken stems. It looked like that darn neighborhood family of squirrels had been going after it again. For some reason, they'd taken a liking to that particular bush.

Shaking her head, she ignored it for now. Her little nudger was telling her it was awake and she gave it a quick caress before digging for her house key in the miniature pocket of her jogging pants.

A bagel had been sufficient enough to last her through her morning routine, but it certainly wouldn't last her until lunchtime. Plus, she was craving oatmeal at the moment. Hopefully, Bobby hadn't eaten the last of it.

Unlocking the door, she slipped inside, disarming the alarm and resetting it. The house was quiet this morning. Usually, Bobby would be running around looking for his favorite tie or a work shirt that had gotten misplaced in the laundry. But, he'd left early today for a meeting with the AUSA.

He and Jack had gone to see Marty Pavone and tell him that if the gun they'd found yesterday turned out to be the one that killed Laurel Baxter, then Marshall was going to be brought back into custody before the hour was up. And this time, he wasn't going to get off so easily.

They'd already had D's okay on the matter. All they needed was Pavone's approval.

Luna startled her as her affectionate pet rubbed up against her leg.

"I know, I know," she told the animal as she leaned down and gave her a scratch behind the ears. "Time for breakfast."

She made to move down the small hallway to the kitchen, but Luna continued to curl around her feet. The cat mewed in an unfamiliar manner. Danni thought very little of it, however, and assumed all of the excitement over the baby had made her beloved pet jealous. She rubbed her a few more times and stood up again. When she tried to move this time, Luna wound her way around her mistress's feet, almost making her trip.

Luna stared up at Danni and let out a horrible cry. It was a sound Danni had never heard before and wasn't sure what to do. But if they just stood there much longer, she would be late for work.

"Look, I don't have time to cuddle, right now." As if the cat would actually understand her. And by the look in the animal's eyes, she really didn't get the picture.

Danni would take a step and the cat would take two, raise the fur on her back and stick her tail straight up in the air. She'd even hissed at her.

"I don't have time for games, either," she tsked.

Finally reaching the kitchen door, she swung it open and went on to make the two of them something to eat. She pulled down the canister of oatmeal—there was just enough for her to eat—from the cupboard above the stove and dug a can of cat food out from its hiding place beside the dishwasher.

Prying open the can, she dished out half of its contents and secured a lit on top before sticking it in the door of the refrigerator, where it would remain fresh until dinnertime.

"Here you go, Your Majesty," Danni groaned in exasperation as she set down the food dish beside its twin that she'd filled with fresh water.

Luna sniffed at the food, obviously hungry, but she couldn't ignore the smell coming from the darkened dining room. She looked back up at Danni and mewed softly.

"You're not getting anything else. So suck it up and eat." Of course, it really wasn't like Luna to turn away food. She wasn't finicky like most cats. Whatever you stuck in front of her, she usually ate.

But her focus remained on the dining room. Danni hoped that beyond all else, it wasn't a rat. Squirrels she could handle because they usually stuck to the outside of the house, but a rat inside was a completely different story.

"What is it, huh? What do you see?"

The dining room was attached to the kitchen with only an arched doorway separating the two. The curtains were blocking out the morning light, so it was difficult to see what the cat was seeing. Reaching for the light switch, Danni flipped it on, only to have herself coming face to face with a pair of dark blue eyes.

"Hello, Danni."

* * *

><p>"How did it go with Pavone?" Lucy asked Jack and Bobby as they marched triumphantly into the bullpen.<p>

Jack grinned and held up the warrant Marty had written out for them. "Marshall won't be getting off easy this time." He shrugged out of his jacket and checked his messages. "Have we heard back from the lab, yet?"

"I just got off the phone with JP," Tara informed him as she poured herself a fresh cup of coffee. "He told me that it's going to take a bit longer than he first expected."

"Tell him to put a rush on it."

She mock-saluted him as she sipped from her mug. "On it, boss."

"So, if it is Marshall who killed Miss Baxter, how are we going to go about this?" Myles asked as he pushed away from his desk and stretched out his legs.

Jack was puzzled by the question. Arching an eyebrow, he looked around for clarification. It was his wife that put him out of his misery. "You know Danni's going to want to be involved in this takedown."

He nodded and noticed how Bobby got the sudden urge to look at his watch. "Need to be somewhere, Crash?"

He didn't respond to Jack's question as he looked at his wife's desk. It was still as impeccably neat as she'd left it when she left last night. Curious, he looked to Sue. "Where is she, anyway?"

"You don't know?" Tara asked.

"We thought she was with you," Lucy added for emphasis when Bobby just stared at her with that vacant expression.

At that statement, Bobby whipped out his cell phone and dialed the house. It rang multiple times, but in the end, he only got the answering machine. "No answer at home."

"So, there goes the theory that she slept in," Myles said as Bobby began dialing Danni's cell number.

His fingers tapped impatiently on his leg, but yet again, received no answer. Closing his eyes, he tried to reign in his emotions. "She's not answering her cell either."

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions, though," Sue tried to be reasonable. "There has to be a logical reason why she isn't here."

"Except for the obvious," Myles muttered, but Jack had heard and sent him a warning glare.

Bobby didn't know what to do or think. He just stared at the phone in his hand and imagined the worst. A gentle hand rested on his shoulder and he faintly recognized Tara's voice as she tried to comfort him. Her words fell on deaf ears, though. "Bobby?" she tried to gain his attention. "You have a new voicemail."

"Huh?" He was confused, but of course he'd turned his phone off while in Pavone's office.

She snatched the phone out of his hand and put it on speakerphone as she accessed it. She made him put in his code and waited for the message to play.

There was no specific voice. There was a lot of background noise, though. The thundering sound of footsteps as they echoed off the floor. Someone scrambling to gain traction as they tried to run. And then they heard it. It was a woman's scream.

"_Get off me!"_ came Danni's familiar voice and Tara watched Bobby closely to see the color completely drain from his face. There was the sound of more struggling and then the message was over.

Jack suddenly knew what needed to be done. He turned to Sue and Lucy who'd gotten up from their desks as Lucy signed to Sue what had been going on in the message. "Get a hold of D. Let him know that Danni's in trouble and Bobby, Myles and I are heading over to the house."

Lucy nodded before hurrying to do just that. He turned to Sue and she had fear-laced tears in her eyes. "Jack…" she tried to voice, but she couldn't get the words out.

"I know. We'll call as soon as we know anything." He turned to see if Bobby was up to this and found that his best mate was already walking out the door. "Keep me updated on the gun," he told Tara as he and Myles quickly followed after the Aussie.

* * *

><p>"Danni!" Bobby called as he rushed through the front door. He was greeted with silence. "Danni?" He spun in a circle, making sure his voice could be heard upstairs. But the house remained quiet. Too quiet.<p>

He glanced at Jack who stood beside him with his gun drawn. Myles was circling around the house, checking to see if anyone was still lurking about. For right now, the house seemed empty, but there were many places to hide.

Jack looked at Bobby when he was certain their abrupt arrival hadn't drawn any attention. It was safe to assume that whoever had been here was long gone. He'd never seen his best friend look so broken before. After all, it wouldn't just be Danni he would lose.

"The alarm's been tampered with," Myles said as he finally entered in behind them. "Other than that, they left no tracks."

"Any sign of her?"

The Bostonian shook his head as he looked at Bobby with sympathy in his eyes. He could only imagine what the other man was going through. "No. But there were a few windows around back that I couldn't see into."

The three men jumped at the startling cry coming from behind the kitchen door. Myles instinctively drew his gun from its holster and Jack made sure he didn't fire.

"It's only Luna," Bobby explained.

"Even so, we should be careful," Jack reminded him. "Just not overzealous." He arched an eyebrow in Harvard's direction and the agent had the decency to look embarrassed.

Bobby only nodded as he reached for his weapon, cradling it gently in his hands just in case he needed to fire.

Jack took the lead. He carefully pried the door open to peer inside and found the cat just sitting there, staring up at him.

Luna, excited that her cry had finally been heard by her people, climbed to her feet and hurried around the center island until she vanished from his view. Her cries became louder as the three men entered, each stepping carefully around shards of broken dishes and even a knife that had been stabbed into the hardwood floor.

This was becoming too hard for Bobby. The message left on his phone had been bad. This was worse and as he moved around the island, he felt his world begin to crumble down around him.

"Danni?" his voice had been no louder than a whisper.

She was laying on the floor, unconscious. At least, that's what he was hoping.

Kneeling down beside her, he checked her pulse. It was very weak and her breathing was shallow.

What had happened here?

"An ambulance is on its way," Myles told him while resting a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder.

Bobby could only nod as he picked up Danni's head and cradled it in his lap. Tears were now freely flowing from his eyes and as he reached out to touch the one life that connected them together. He had to know that their baby was okay. A heavy sob wracked his body when he felt no movement from within her womb. Ever since she'd told him about their little miracle, he'd always felt a flutter or a nudge or even a kick and for once, he felt nothing.

"Hang in there, luv," he whispered in her ear before resting his forehead upon hers and saying a silent prayer for the safety of his wife and their unborn child.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Devotion**

**Chapter Twenty**

"The doctor will be in to speak to you in a few minutes," the nurse told Bobby as she walked him into Danni's hospital room. She was full of sympathy for the man as he nodded grimly at her. He probably hadn't heard a single word she'd said because the moment he'd walked into the room, his attention had solely been focused on the woman lying in the bed in the middle of the room.

Slipping out silently, she gave them a few minutes alone.

Bobby's emotions instantly got the better of him as he stared at all of the machines hooked up to his wife. But most notably was the monitor attached to her stomach. A soft, yet rapid _thump-thump-thump _echoed in his ears and for the first time, he felt himself relax.

Swiping at his tears, he approached the bed, lifting Danni's hand into his. He raised it to his lip and pressed gentle kisses upon her knuckles before entwining their fingers together. He wanted to say so much to her and yet he still couldn't find the words. And for right now, it was enough.

He would be contented to just sit by her bedside and wait for her beautiful eyes to open.

"Mr. Manning?"

He turned to find a woman in her late forties at the door. She was dressed in green operating scrubs and her reading glasses her perched on the top of her head.

"I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Dr. Julia Reynolds." He nodded, setting down Danni's hand to shake the one she was offering to him. "I'm sorry we have to meet again under these circumstances." She noticed how as soon as he let go of her hand, his went straight back to his wife's.

"How is she?"

She spared a glance at the chart in her hands before tucking it tight to her body. "As you can see, she's resting right now. But, there's something I think you should know." She paused and allowed her tongue to flick out across her lips to moisten them. "Perhaps you should sit down."

Bobby felt his knees instantly go weak and had to lean against the mattress to remain upright until he could finally climb into a nearby chair. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

She shook her head. "I'm afraid not." She watched him visibly blanche and hurried to reassure his fears. "Danni will recover and as far as we can tell from the ultrasound, your baby will not be affected by it in the coming months."

His stomach felt like it was ready to recoil and he had to lean forward in his seat to make sure his breakfast wasn't going to suddenly reappear. "So, then what?"

"We have reason to believe that your wife may have been poisoned."

His head shot up and his eyes were wide. "Poisoned?"

She nodded. "Yes, with a compound very similar to chloroform. There is some good news, though," she continued when the large man seemed like he was about to need a hospital bed of his own. "The fact that the chemical was highly diluted means that we were able to flush it out of her system quite quickly. She'll be allowed to go home tomorrow afternoon if she keeps progressing the way she has been."

The nausea subsided instantly and he found that he was able to sit up straighter in his chair. Giving Danni's hand a squeeze as he looked over at her, his thumb lightly drew circles over the silky flesh. "When will she wake up?"

She smiled at him and the way he looked at the woman lying there in the bed with all the love he had in the world. "Within the hour, I'd expect. And when she does and if the two of you are interested, I can tell you what your little one is going to be."

He stood up from his seat, a smile lighting up his face for the first time in hours. "I don't know how to thank you."

She shrugged her shoulders and glanced toward the sleeping woman. "You just take good care of that family of yours. And that's an order."

He mock-saluted her as he showed her out. "Yes, ma'am," he replied before closing the door.

* * *

><p>It wasn't long after the doctor left that Danni began to stir. Bobby was back at her side in an instant, holding her one hand tightly between two of his. Her eyelids fluttered as he gently massaged the cold fingers in his grasp and watched as her color finally came back into her cheeks.<p>

Then her eyes opened. They were unfocused at first, but as she continued to blink and take in her surroundings, her vision became clearer. Her gaze jumped from the pristine white walls to the various machines hooked up to her and let out an aggravated groan. Squeezing her eyes shut, she muttered something that sounded like "crap".

"Well, hello to you, too," he teased her as he filled a nearby cup with some water. He held it to her mouth and she drank deeply from it.

"I was hoping I'd been dreaming and being here was just a horrible nightmare," she told him, her voice still raspy and her mouth feeling like it had been stuffed with cotton. Her head was spinning too and she had to close her eyes for a minute to make it stop. "Why am I the one to always end up in the hospital?"

He shrugged as he poured her some more water and held the cup to her lips. "I don't know, but there is good news. The nurse told me that you've become a premier patient. On your next visit, you get a free appendectomy." He hoped that would make her laugh and he wasn't disappointed when her shoulders shook at his attempt at humor. Her amusement was music to his ears.

But soon it quieted and a blanket of importance settled on them both. "I'm sorry, Bobby."

His brow furrowed in confusion as he set the pitcher and mug back on the bedside table and scooted his seat closer to her. "For what?"

Her one shoulder lifted in a half-shrug. "For pushing too many buttons, I guess. If I hadn't I probably wouldn't be in here right now."

He took hold of her hand again, but she wouldn't look him in the eye. "Look at me, luv," he pleaded and waited patiently as she gathered up the courage to do so. "Never doubt your instincts as an agent. Pushing buttons is what you're best at and it's what gets the job done. I might not have agreed with this case in the beginning but we never would have been able to get as far as he have without you."

"But I ended up putting everyone in danger, including myself." She shook her head and tried to keep the tears that were gathering in her eyes at bay.

He carefully reached out and gently lifted her chin with the tip of his index finger. Tears were glistening just below her lashes and he hurried to wipe them away. Tucking a stray tendril of hair behind her ear, he sighed. "It's just a part of the job we have to live with. If I had my way, you'd be strapped to a desk with bubble wrap all around you," he smiled as she rolled her eyes and chuckled. "But we both know that will never happen."

Wrinkling her nose playfully, she shook her head. "Probably not. Although, right now, it might be for the best. Until, this little one comes along, at least." She ran her hang over her belly, relieved to find their baby still safe and sound.

"I guess I can't argue with that." His hand met hers over the swell of her stomach, their fingers entwining together. Swallowing thickly, he stared into her eyes and tried not to imagine all he could have lost today. "I'm so glad you're okay, Danni. I don't know what I would have done if I would have lost you."

The emotions flickering in his eyes brought tears to her own. Shaking her head, she begged, "Please don't think like that." She didn't want to think about it and she didn't want him to think about it. She just wanted to put it behind them all and move forward. "I'm still here and that's all that matters." Leaning her forehead against his, she closed her eyes and just reveled in the feel of him. They were together. They were happy. They were healthy.

What more could either of them ask?

"I love you," he whispered, his lips inching closer to hers.

"You'd better," was her response before his lips claimed hers.

The kiss was sweet and loving. Everything they were feeling at that moment came pouring out with that kiss. The fear, the dread, the joy, the happiness; it was all encompassed in this one single display of love.

Neither heard the door open or close, or the approaching footsteps of the person standing behind them. Dr. Reynolds wasn't sure what was more embarrassing: catching them in such an affectionate embrace or being caught in one.

Keeping her laughter to herself, she cleared her throat, hoping once would be all it took to pull them apart. Thankfully it was. They pulled apart instantly. "Well, Danni, it's good to see you… awake." She smiled. "How are you feeling?" It was better to just get down to business.

"I'm still a little tired," the mother-to-be admitted as she shifted in her bed.

The doctor made a note of that in her clipboard. "That's probably just from the sedative we gave you before. Any aches or pains? Discomfort?" Danni shook her head to both. The doctor made note of that as well before putting on a pair of medical gloves. "Good, now I need you to tell me if I hurt you." She lifted up the top of Danni's gown and allowed her fingers to press into her abdomen. The baby gave a good kick to the wandering digits, obviously not enjoying being poked.

When the doctor was satisfied that her prognosis was confirmed and Danni was on the mend, she removed her gloves and jotted a few more notes down in the chart.

"Well, you seem to be doing okay, though I would still feel better if we kept you here overnight."

Danni didn't seem so enthusiastic about it. "I suppose if I have to."

"I'll be right here with you the whole time," Bobby promised, placing a kiss to her temple.

She smiled and leaned her head upon his shoulder. "I can deal with that, then," she agreed.

"Well, now that that's settled, there is one last thing." Dr. Reynolds produced a small manila envelope from the back of Danni's file. "How about we find out what you're going to have?"

Danni's glowing smile instantly appeared and she reached out eagerly for the envelope. Tearing open the flap, three pictures fell out into her waiting hands.

Bobby took one and turned it around a few times. "What exactly are we looking at?"

Chuckling, the doctor took the pictures one at a time and showed them the features their child had been willing to show them. "Here you can see the head. The eyes are here," she pointed with her pen, "the nose, the mouth." She set that one down and picked up another. "Here you can clearly see the arms and the feet."

"Sleeps just like you," Bobby teased.

Danni elbowed him lightly. "Very funny."

Picking up the last one, Dr. Reynolds used her pen as a pointer again. "And if you look right about here, you can see that you're going to have a baby boy."


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**Devotion**

**Chapter Twenty One**

As promised, Danni was released the following day. She was instructed to go home and get herself some much needed rest. And she planned to do just that, as soon as Kyle was in custody and this case was closed.

Bobby tried to get her to reconsider, telling her that the team could handle the rest; that she'd done her part. But she wouldn't be satisfied until she saw that man behind bars for good. He caved, but on one condition. She wouldn't be anywhere near the club when the takedown occurred.

And for once, she didn't argue.

She would remain behind in the bullpen with Sue, Lucy and Tara while he, Jack and Myles brought in the bad guy. She could handle that as long as she was allowed to be there for the interrogation. She was surprised when Bobby actually agreed.

Sitting back in her chair, she smiled at the balloons the girls had tied to the handle of her top right drawer. Blue orbs hovered just above her head, a shining silver one in the center that had once said: "It's a boy!", but words had been added to it in Lucy's familiar handwriting. It now read, "It's going to be a boy!" now adorned it.

Her smile widened at how caring her friends were. They were almost as excited about the baby as she and Bobby were. There was one thing she was certain of, their little baby boy was going to be surrounded by love.

"Did JP get back to you on prints on the gun?" Jack asked Tara, popping Danni's happy little baby bubble for the moment.

Tara bit into a red goo-filled gummy bear and shook her head. "Not yet. He said there were some discrepancies that he needed to check out before handing over his final results."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Jack sighed in aggravation. Out of everything, that would be the one thing to hold them up. "What kind of discrepancy?"

She shrugged, "He didn't say."

"Well, tell him to send up whatever he has. We'll deal with the rest later."

She nodded and dialed down to the lab.

"Has SOG reported in?" he asked Myles.

Harvard nodded as he searched for his notes upon his usually pristine desk that was now cluttered with mountains of paperwork. "They checked in about a half hour ago. That was when Marshal and his lady love arrived at the club."

Jack nodded. Everything was falling into place. "What about backup?" he looked at Bobby as he asked this.

"Metro is standing by, waiting for our call. They already have a team suited up and ready should it get out of hand."

"Do we really think it will get out of hand?" Sue asked. "I mean, Kyle is small time, there's no doubt about it and he probably feels like he's invincible seeing as though he probably think he took out his number one nuisance. No offense," she added for Danni's benefit.

Danni laughed as she shook her head. "None taken."

The corner of Jack's mouth was quirked in a smile. "To answer your question, no I don't really think it will get out of hand. It just never hurts to be prepared."

* * *

><p>The two goons were standing guard at the front door. Both were clad in dark clothes and dark sunglasses and it was obvious they were both armed. SOG was parked across the street, but it was best to approach carefully. They didn't want to appear too eager or Marshall would be given the opportunity to slip out the back.<p>

"Club's closed," said the one on the left. He was tall and bulky; slow to move and easy to take down, Jack surmised as he sized the other man up.

The three agents removed their badges from inside the coats and showed them to the two sentinels. "We're here to see your boss."

The one on the right sneered at Myles, but didn't move to let them inside. "He's not here," he growled. A smirk curled at the corner of his mouth, practically daring the feds to doubt him.

Bobby rolled his eyes and slipped his ID wallet back into his pocket. Rubbing at his chin, he took a step forward and stood tall in front of the loud-mouthed thug. "Now, we all know that's not true, so why don't you just let us in so we can do our job?"

Nathan and Ray shared a glance and still didn't move. "Club's closed," Ray repeated, flexing his biceps as he crossed his arms over his broad chest.

Myles arched an eyebrow at the act of machismo on display. There were so many things he could say about brains triumphing over brawn, but he was sure his comment would soar over the heads of these two Neanderthals. "We don't have time for games."

"Yeah?" Nathan asked, taking a step forward. He stood toe-to-toe with Myles and being just about the same height, stared him straight in the eye. "Well, we have all day."

"What's going on out here?" a voice asked from the doorway. The two thugs relaxed their rigid stances and turned to greet the woman behind them. Kara's eyes darted from the two sentinels to the three agents and back. "Agent Manning, Agent Leland…" she paused as she looked at the third man. "Jack?"

"Is there something you needed, Miss?" Ray asked, trying to shield her from the three feds, but she looked around the muscular hulk in front of her and continued to stare curiously at Jack.

"I came to get something from the car," she pointed to the SUV sitting a few yards away, but she never looked at it.

Jack, sensing her wonder, removed his badge from his pocket yet again and showed it to her. "I hate to tell you this, Miss Stewart, but I'm not a lawyer. I'm with the FBI and we're here to see your husband."

She visibly blanched before all five men and her knees felt like they were about to buckle underneath her. Leaning against the door jam, she reached up and fiddled with the charm hanging around her neck. "Danni?" Blinking wide eyes, she looked up at all of them in fear. "Is she okay?"

Bobby was the one who nodded, though he struggled to hide the pain that crossed his features at the memory of almost losing the two most important things in his life. "She and the baby will be fine."

"You look like you know something, Miss Stewart," Myles spoke up, despite the goon still trying to keep him away from her.

"You're upsetting her. I suggest that you leave." Nathan stepped up and flexed his own bulk, trying to look intimidating. But the three agents had handled worse. If need be, they knew how to take him down.

"If the sheila has something to say, it's better that you let her." He brute backed off at the glare Bobby was shooting at him, but he still tried to convince Kara to go back inside.

She wouldn't do it though. She singled her stare back on Jack and continued to stare. "You're not really her husband, are you?" It was like it had just sunk into her brain.

He shook his head. "No, I'm not."

"Agent Talbot is one of us," Myles added for effect and he saw it the moment it all sunk in for her.

"So, everything she told me was a lie?" She looked hurt, but she was just more confused than anything else.

Bobby sighed. "This isn't the place to discuss that. Where is Marshall?"

Raising a finger, she pointed behind her shoulder into the club. "In the dining room, working." She suddenly looked like she was going to be sick. "I didn't believe he'd actually go through with it," she spoke to herself, but the words had managed to find their way past her lips.

"Do what?" Jack asked, an eyebrow raised and his body now on full alert.

She swallowed the bile that quickly rose in her throat as tears formed in her eyes. "He said she was getting too close… that he would take care of her once and for all." She began having difficulty breathing and tried to take in as much air as possible. "I tried to stop him. I switched the bottles. I didn't want her to have to go through the same thing I did."

She was muttering now, but she'd said enough. Pulling their weapons, Jack remained with the two thugs and Kara and Myles and Bobby stepped inside.

* * *

><p>The dining room was quiet; too quiet, Bobby decided. Pausing his and Myles's steps, he listened closely. The sound of quiet giggling reached his ears and he looked to his teammate to see if he'd heard the same thing. The arch of the Bostonian's eyebrow told him he had.<p>

Peering into the room, they found Marshall sitting at his usual table. But he wasn't alone. A girl—she looked far too young to be older than twenty-five—was perched on the piece of scum's lap, his tie wrapped around her hand as she openly flirted with him. The fact that she was wearing an identical necklace to the ones Laurel Baxter and Jessica Cline had been wearing when they were found dead didn't escape either agent, either.

Bobby swallowed his deep growl of aggravation at this yabbo as he and Myles approached the table. Despite his anger and disgust of the man cheating on his wife who was just outside the building and could walk in at any moment, he knew he had to be calm and rational. So, to stop himself from bull-rushing Marshall, he concentrated on his steps. Steady.

"Bit young for you, isn't she, mate?" he asked, causing the girl to fall from Kyle's lap as he hurriedly jumped to his feet. Bobby and Myles couldn't resist chuckling at the look of fear in the other man's eyes.

Kyle never glanced down at the girl glaring up at him. He just straightened his suit jacket and turned to greet the agents with his usual arrogant sneer. "I should have known that I wasn't rid of you feds yet. Come to add insult to injury?" He stepped over the legs of the tiny brunette at his feet which caused another daggered glare to be shot in his direction.

Scrambling to her feet, she mumbled some sort of insult at him before unclasping the necklace Kyle had just given her and tossing it at his feet before storming off.

"Smart girl," Myles commented as she passed. Crouching down, he removed a linen handkerchief from his jacket pocket and picked the piece of jewelry off the floor. Showing it to Bobby, he asked, "Look familiar?" It was definitely a match to the other necklaces.

Bobby's grin was triumphant. "Very smart, hitting on another woman when your wife's just outside."

Marshall rolled his eyes. "What I do is my business and no one else's, Agent Manning, as I've already told you."

"Did you tell that to Danni Talbot as well?" Myles asked, noting how Bobby was clenching his fists to stop himself from giving the mafia-wannabe a good right hook.

Recognition flashed in Kyle's eyes for barely a moment and he arched an eyebrow in question. "What are you talking about?"

Myles's reaction mirrored his at his response. He wasn't even trying to deny knowing Danni.

"You know exactly what we're talking about," Bobby growled, his self-control waning fast.

Kyle's smirk was back a split-second later. He was taking in Bobby's reaction and knew he could use it to his advantage. He'd seen those pictures of him and that interfering wench locked in an audacious embrace. He sniggered as he ran a hand through his red hair. "And you question me about my actions when you, yourself were involved with another man's wife."

Bobby refused to dignify that with a response. He pulled in a deep breath and relaxed his hands. An aching feeling crept up both of his arms as he did so. He hadn't realized how tight he'd been squeezing.

Arching an eyebrow, Kyle continued to look smug. "I always knew she was a…"

"I'd watch your tongue if I were you," Myles interrupted him, the same protective look in Bobby's eyes visible in his own as well.

Marshall shrugged as if the subject didn't matter anyway. And it didn't to him. He didn't have to worry about his number one nuisance anymore. "Why are you here? As you can see, I have a business to run."

"Yes, and I bet it's going to be pretty difficult to run from prison too." Bobby had finally got his voice back and it was as calm as he could make it. Of course, it still carried that edge of anger.

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Haven't we been there and done that already? I didn't kill Laurel Baxter. I've already been cleared of the charges."

Nodding, Myles had to give him that. "Yes, but new evidence has risen against you. See, we have an eye-witness account of how you attacked Miss Talbot, not to mention the confession your wife had just given us outside."

Both agents watched as the triumphant smile fell from Marshall's face.


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

**Devotion**

**Chapter Twenty Two**

Kyle never stood a change going up against Bobby or Myles. But that didn't stop him from trying. He'd knocked over a chair as he sprinted for the safety of the back alley. Of course, the agents merely jumped over the obstruction and caught up with him before he'd set foot out of the dining room.

He'd tripped over his own two feet and stumbled as he tried to remain upright. Bobby grabbed hold of the back of his jacket as he lunged at him and landed on top of him.

Myles had been beside his partner a second later, handcuffs at the ready.

Reading Marshall his rights, they look him in for questioning.

It had taken hours, but Kyle had finally confessed to attacking Danni and for being less than honorable in his marriage. But, the murders he denied fully. He'd told them that he hadn't even known Jessica Cline had been pregnant until he'd been told by the last investigative team. And Laurel, well… she'd just been a sweet girl who'd fallen for the wrong man and had ended up in a situation she couldn't handle alone.

Frustrated and angry by the end of the interrogation, the team found that they couldn't charge Marshall with murder. Other than the fact that there was little evidence pointing to him there was something they'd seen in that room that told them he could never kill anyone.

But he wasn't getting off scott-free. Not again. He would get a few years for what he did to Danni and while she wasn't exactly happy about it, it was at least something.

She sighed as she leaned back in her chair a few days later, thinking about all that had transpired. As much as she wanted that man to rot away for the rest of his miserable life, she knew there was no concrete evidence. Guilt pinched at her insides as she sat there and thought long and hard about it. She'd convicted Kyle straight from the beginning, never doubting that he'd killed those two women. But after watching the interrogation and his reactions to the questions he'd been asked, she found her suspicions to be wrong this whole time.

The man was far from innocent, but he wasn't a killer.

A warm head settled itself in her lap and she looked down into Junior's bright brown eyes. Since they knew today was going to be a slow day, Sue thought it would be fitting to try to incorporate him into the office. Of course, the minute he'd arrived, he'd had to sniff out every new and interesting smell… one of them being the donut a member of the other team had perched on the edge of his desk while he went to get himself a cup of coffee. When he sat back down, his morning treat had disappeared and the dog suspiciously had a white, powdered sugar mustache.

"Hey, you goofball," she greeted him and rubbed his ears. He was more subdued now than when they'd first brought him home. He wasn't a fully certified service dog yet, but he was well on his way. And why shouldn't he be with Levi to teach him every step of the way?

He licked at the tips of her fingers before turning to look at his mistress, who was waiting patiently to be acknowledged. "Good boy," she praised him as he rested her hip against the edge of Danni's desk and crossed her arms over her chest. "You okay?"

Danni offered up the most sincere smile she could. "I'm fine." She'd just been so sure that Kyle had been guilty.

By the expression that crossed Sue's face, she didn't believe her. "You know I'm here if you ever need to talk," she reminded her cousin.

Danni nodded. As if she'd ever forget that. She could still remember all the times she and Sue had stayed up for hours just talking about anything and everything when they were teenagers. Love. Life. There hadn't been any boundaries between them, then and there weren't any now. "Don't worry about me."

"It's my job to worry about you."

"Yes, mother," she teased with a smirk. "But, I'll be all right once this is all over and done with." Of course, when that was going to be, none of them knew.

"Don't we all." She reached down and gave Danni's hand a firm squeeze to offer her the support she desperately needed right then. As she drew away, she caught something leaning against the windowsill on the other side of the desk. "What's with the guitar?"

Following her cousin's gaze, it took Danni a moment to realize what Sue was talking about. Her gaze landed on the large black case Bobby had placed up against the wall when he'd insisted on carrying it up to the bullpen for her. She'd completely forgotten that they'd brought it in today. "Oh, I decided to take Kara Lynn up on her offer of me performing at the club."

Sue was genuinely surprised. "Really?"

Danni nodded. "I only had one condition; that I not have to do it in front of an audience of strangers. It's been a while since I've been up on stage, so I don't want to humiliate myself too badly."

"Danni, I would love to see you perform again. I know you used to have so much fun doing it."

"Used to, being the operative words. But, everyone's invited if you want to come and see. We decided to do it during lunch."

"I wouldn't miss it," Sue grinned, but something uncertain wavered in her eyes. "So, things are okay between the two of you, then?"

Danni could only shrug.

In truth, Kara was still trying to process everything. It was a lot for her to handle and Danni hadn't expected to hear from her so quickly, but when she got the call from her last night and offered her stage to her one more time, she knew they would be okay. Eventually.

"I'd like to think so," was all she could bring herself to say.

Sue wanted to say so much to her cousin, to tell her how proud she was of her for setting aside her personal feelings for this case to solve it and to also make amends with possibly the best friend she'd ever had growing up. But, she was interrupted from doing so when Junior nudged at her leg with his paw and turned to look at the man standing in the doorway.

JP stood there, handing over a file to Tara. The tech-wiz looked confused, as did the rest of the team, but he'd merely said something about delivering it personally and it being important before he slipped out to let them deal with whatever it contained.

"What is it?" Myles asked as he stood up from his desk.

Opening it, Tara looked at the report with wide eyes. "It's the complete report on the gun we found in Kyle's SUV," she said as she skimmed through it. Suddenly, she slammed it down onto her desk and laid it out for them. "I think you all need to take a look at this."

* * *

><p>Kara was excited to see Danni pull into the club's parking lot. Due to the fact that Kyle was locked away until his trial, the club was closed. So, she'd been sitting in her car, waiting for her old friend to arrive. And it looked like she'd brought an entire band of people with her, because two more vehicles pulled in behind her.<p>

Getting out, she went to greet the large collection of friends. Danni got out of her car, but when Kara expected to be pulled in for a hug, her friend just remained motionless with her hands shoved in the pockets of her jacket.

"I'm glad you could come," she said with a huge grin on her face. "And you brought your friends along." She had to admit, it was kind of intimidating to be face-to-face with so many federal agents, but it was exciting as well, now that she knew who they all really were.

"Kara, we need to talk." Danni made sure her tone sounded calm, even if the rest of her didn't feel that way.

Kara wasn't affected by the way she was acting. She was cheerful and smiling; the complete opposite of what she could be feeling right now. "Okay, well, let's all go inside. We can talk there." She motioned for all of them to follow her, but no one moved.

"I'd rather we do this here and now."

Brow furrowed, Kara looked at Danni in question. Her friend wasn't acting like herself today and she couldn't imagine why. "Do what?"

Letting out a puff of air, Danni took a step forward, uncertain at first on how to begin. "Kyle had a gun. You know that, right?" The nod of affirmation she received was enough of an answer for her. "Did you ever touch it?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"One that we need to know the answer to," Bobby said as he stood protectively behind his wife. "Did you ever use Kyle's gun?"

Kara shook her head. "No. Kyle said it was just used for protection. You should know better than anyone how dangerous of a city DC can be." She looked directly at Danni for confirmation. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Our lab has confirmed that your husband's gun was used in the murder of Laurel Baxter," Tara spoke up from her spot between Myles and Jack.

"So? What does that have to do with me?"

Danni noticed how nervous her old friend had suddenly become. She was constantly shifting from one foot to the other and her eyes jumped from one person to the next, never settling on someone specific. The hurt washed over her. She didn't want to believe that it was true. "Kyle was your husband, Kara. It should have everything in the world to do with you."

Brown eyes lifted heavenward. "Just because you have a fairytale marriage doesn't mean that mine was, Danni. You know what Kyle was like, what he was capable of."

"Actually, I'm not quite sure what to think anymore." Her voice was laced with pain and she hated the fact that she'd let it leak through the strong façade she'd built as an agent.

"What is that supposed to mean?" At least she had enough sense to look offended by that. Good. Danni wanted to make her squirm so she would admit what she'd done.

"It means that we know what you did." Danni looked her directly in the eye, betrayal and hurt shining out from them.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your husband didn't kill those women." It was Jack who said this when Danni found that she wasn't able to. "Someone just wanted to make it look like he did."

Shock filled Kara's face. Shaking her head, she didn't know what to say. "Who?" she asked. "Who would do such a thing?"

"Why don't you tell us?" Danni asked in a low growl.

"Me? You think I did it?"

"You would have had the opportunity and the motive." Myles answered. "Kyle was having an affair with both of them. Jessica Cline ended up pregnant. Miss Baxter was lucky enough to have been on birth control."

Shaking her head again, Kara tried to wrap her head around what they were accusing her of. "You don't have any proof." That was the only denial she could come up with. It was like another knife to Danni's heart.

"That's where you're wrong. Our lab also found a single strand of hair seared to the barrel of Kyle's gun. And lucky for us, the root was still attached."

"Of course, what's lucky for us, is unlucky for you," Tara added. "The DNA from the hair was an identical match to you. It proves you handled the gun and that you killed Laurel Baxter." And they would make sure she confessed to the other murder as well.

Taking a step back, Danni watched as Kara was handcuffed and led to one of their vehicles. She'd seen it the moment the shade of innocence was lifted from those usually gentle brown eyes. To think her friend was a killer just broke her into a million pieces.

But there was good news in the midst of the bad. Finally the Baxter family would find closure for the death of their daughter and then the Cline family as well. This nightmare of a case was over and Danni had regained a friend only to end up losing her all over again. But this time, it couldn't be helped.

Kara had been brought into a world of darkness and ended up doing whatever it took to survive. After all, there was nothing worse than a woman scorned.


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

**Devotion**

**Chapter Twenty Three**

**Four Months Later**

"He's on your left," Jack said as he watched the action happening in front of him.

"Come on, take him down," Myles was right there with him.

"You've almost got him," Bobby said from the spot right beside his wife.

The three men stood up from their seats, watching the players on the screen run down the field. He was at the thirty yard line, then the twenty. They were holding their breaths, waiting for the moment… which never came. They all groaned in exasperation and plopped back down on the couch, while the girls cheered as loud as they could.

Dirty looks were exchanged all around the living room, divided by rivalry. The game had been tied up until halftime, but the Steelers had managed some pretty fancy footwork to make the Ravens suffer.

Pittsburgh had been a favorite team of Danni's ever since she was ten-years-old. Her grandparents on her father's side had taken her to a game one Sunday afternoon while they were in town visiting and the team had stuck with her ever since.

The kick to her stomach told her that the little one inside of her was enjoying the game just as much as she was, even if she couldn't do as much celebrating as she would have liked. Rubbing at the offended spot, she winced just a little bit. Bobby of course, noticed without delay and was immediately on her to see if she was okay and if she needed anything.

"I'm fine," she told him with a chuckle, but she knew that would do very little to ease the worry flooding through him. She was due any day now, so she couldn't really blame him for worrying. But it was really starting to get annoying. Every inch she moved or every twinge she made, he was right there, trying to make her comfortable. And it might have looked like she was handling it, but Sue could tell she was getting very annoyed by it.

Still, she also hoped that Jack would act that same way… or just about the same way when their little one arrived. Of course, she still had a long way to go before that happened. They'd only just found out Friday evening after work about their little bundle and they still had yet to tell anyone; their parents excluded.

She and Jack had decided to tell them after the game, as long as everyone was still speaking to each other. The game on TV looked really brutal, today.

She was brought back to attention by the gentle nudge to her leg. Looking down, Junior was sitting at her feet and then he suddenly jumped up onto all four paws and headed toward the front door. Confused, she looked to Jack for confirmation. "Who could that be?" she asked.

His expression was the same as hers. Shrugging, he stood up from the couch, chip bowl in hand as he went to refill it. "I dunno. Unless D and Donna changed their minds."

She rolled her eyes at her husband, placing one hand firmly on her hip. "Jack, this is their first weekend in a long time that they've had without the kids. I think they'd want to do something more romantic then watch a football game with us." Tanya and Davey both had sleepovers this weekend and she was certain that football was the last thing they'd be thinking about.

"Sounds like my kind of date," Bobby said as he leaned back in his seat and wrapped his arm around Danni's shoulder.

She rolled her eyes at him. "You would."

"Hey, no fraternizing with the enemy, Koala Boy," Myles reminded him. "The game's still not over yet."

"Then, stop making goo-goo eyes at your wife," the Aussie retorted, which resulted in both Lucy and Myles blushing.

He and Lucy had married three months ago in a quiet little ceremony as his house. In fact, it had been a complete surprise to their guests. What they thought was actually supposed to be their wedding shower turned out to be the actual wedding. It had been beautiful and simple and thankfully for Danni, sort of casual. She'd been able to wear one of her own dresses instead of a tailored muumuu of a bridesmaid's dress.

"Actually, I think that's for me," Tara spoke up as she rose from her spot on the edge of the couch. She pulled at the hem of her purple sweater and picked off a stray piece of lint. Eight pairs of eyes—including those of Junior and Levi, the latter having taken to snuggling with Danni—swiveled in her direction. Heat instantly fanned at her cheeks. "I hope you don't mind, but I kind of invited someone today."

Okay, that wasn't exactly the truth. He'd basically invited himself, but it was only because he wanted to meet the friends she was always talking about. Boy was this afternoon going to be interesting.

"So, does this mean we finally get to meet this mystery man of yours?" Lucy was practically bouncing in her seat at just the thought of it.

Rolling her eyes, Tara sighed in resignation. "Yes, but I ask that you don't judge him too harshly. I really like him." And he seemed to really like her too. In fact, he'd brought up the prospect of marriage more than once in the last few months and while it was just talk, the fact that he was thinking about marriage while he was with her made her heart all gooey and fluttery at the same time.

"Hey, if you like him, why should we object?" Jack asked, having heard the conversation from the kitchen. He tossed Myles and Bobby each another can of soda and handed over a bottle of water for Danni before setting the bowl of chips back down on the coffee table, newly refilled.

She nervously picked at her fingernails as the knocking continued at the front door. "Just remember that you're the one who asked that question," she said before going to answer the door

Confused expressions were exchanged all around and her words didn't make sense until she came back into the living room, the face of her new beau finally revealed to them.

"Hi, everyone," Matt smiled nervously to all of them before offering the shopping back he carried to Sue. She looked at it with confusion, but accepted it anyway. "I figured… um, just in case anyone was in the mood for ice cream," he explained.

"Well, now I can see why you didn't want us to know who he was." This response came from Danni, the only one of them who'd been able to find her voice.

They all knew who Matt was, considering he'd inadvertently helped them out with a case a few years ago, when he was still working at the NYPD. But, that's not what drove them into silence. It was the fact that this man was also Danni's ex-boyfriend.

And she was the only one who didn't seem affected by it. Gaining Bobby's attention, she held out her hands for him to help her get off the couch. It was easy to get into, but the cushions were so soft that with her large belly, she just sank into it with no escape route of her own. Waddling over to Matt, she wrapped her arms around him in a hug and then slapped him on the arm. "You should have told me." That went for both of them.

"We weren't sure how you'd react," Tara admitted with a shrug. She'd hoped that her friend would be happy for her, but then she'd also feared that Danni would think that she wasn't good enough for Matt.

Danni chuckled. "Me? Heck, I was planning on trying to get the two of you to meet." She shrugged as she saw the incredulous expressions on both of their faces. "I figured I'd owed you for the last time." After all, it had been one of her friends that Tara dated last, before her oh so short sabbatical from men.

"Looks like someone else beat you to it," Sue grinned, leaning against her husband who'd just perched himself on the back of the large sectional sofa. She melted into Jack's embrace as his arms wrapped around her waist.

Matt and Tara just smiled at each other, the sparkle in their eyes making everyone else around them disappear. Everyone wanted to be protective of Tara because she did have such bad luck in love, but perhaps Cupid's arrow had struck true with this one. Danni had never seen Matt look at anyone like he did Tara. While she hadn't been so lucky with him, they'd forged a very close friendship. And during that time, she knew that when he did finally fall in love, he would fall hard.

As she watched on, she could see just how hard he had fallen for Tara. She felt so giddy inside.

And then she felt a sharp stab of pain shoot through her, wrapping its way around to her stomach. She grabbed hold of the back of the couch as Jack invited Matt to join their little party, her nails ripping at the fabric. Exhaling sharply, she waited for the pain to subside.

Unclamping her fingers from the back of the sofa, she noticed that everyone was still focused on welcoming Matt into their little group, the room deafening with the chatter. The last thing she needed was for everyone to coddle her and ask if she was okay. But then another pain, even worse than the last one ripped through her and that's when she felt it.

Eyes wide, she turned to her husband who'd reclaimed his seat. "Bobby?" she asked, gently as she felt her heart rate speed up.

"Yeah, love?" he asked, popping a chip into his mouth.

"My water just broke."


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

**Devotion**

**Chapter Twenty Four**

"Push, Danni, push," Doctor Reynolds encouraged as the baby began to crown.

Tears streamed down Danni's face as she shook her head. She was too tired. She was all pushed out. She just couldn't do it. "I can't," she cried.

"Yes, you can, luv. C'mon just one more really big push," Bobby whispered, his lips just inches away from her ear. Her hand was wrapped so tightly around his that he was beginning to lose feeling in the tips of his fingers. Still, he encouraged her. He knew she could do it.

"It's too hard," she whimpered, her head lolling back against the pillow under her head. Her eyes drooped and the color was high in her cheeks. She was exhausted, he could see that, but she had to keep going.

"I promise you can stop after one last push. C'mon, luv," he pleaded, rubbing at the tension in her shoulders.

What couldn't they understand? She couldn't do it anymore!

"Come on, Danni. I can see your baby's head. Just one more really good push."

One more? And that would be it right? She supposed she could handle that. Taking a deep breath, she nodded and pushed.

"Good girl," Bobby told her.

"Push, push, push," Doctor Reynolds encouraged as Danni continued to push until she could push no more. Her patient relaxed against the mattress underneath her and breathed in deep, shallow breaths. "Okay, now I know I said that was the last one, but I need one more from you, sweetie."

Danni groaned in exasperation, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I really don't like you anymore," but which one of them she was talking to, they didn't know. But she still drew in the big breath she needed and pushed again.

The pain was too much. She cried out and squeezed at Bobby's hand. He squeezed in return, but her grip was so tight that his fingers had now gone completely numb. Still, he urged her through it, counting down until she could breathe again.

"Keep going. I see a shoulder."

Danni pushed with everything she had left in her. Then, like cotton had been shoved in her ears, the room had gone silent until the scream of life entering the world greeted their ears.

Danni was glowing with pride, letting her head fall back onto the pillow. She'd done it. She couldn't believe it. And now he was here. Their son was here.

She was sobbing hysterically when they placed the little blue-wrapped bundle in her arms and she looked into her son's eyes for the very first time. Bright and wide as he stared up at her.

"Hey little man," she cooed. "I'm your mama." Sniffling loudly, she turned to look at her husband. "Bobby, look what we did." But when her gaze settled on the spot where he'd been standing just a moment before, she saw that he was now gone. "Bobby?"

* * *

><p>It was still so hard to believe that he was finally here, happy and healthy and in her arms. Danni smiled down at the bundle cradled against her chest as she hummed the same lullaby her mother had sung to her when she was little.<p>

She was a mother.

She spared a glance toward the man lying beside her on the lounger. The color was finally coming back into his cheeks, which she couldn't help but laugh at. First morning sickness and then passing out in the delivery room. Boy would she have a story to tell this little one when he was older.

"Don't even say it," Bobby warned her in a whispered tone. The baby was asleep for now, so he didn't want to wake him.

She smiled innocently. "I didn't say anything."

"Yeah, but you were thinking it." She couldn't deny that and he knew it. "I love you, Danni." He brushed a kiss across her brow and looked down at the infant in her arms. He was still trying to figure out if this was all a dream and if it was, he didn't want to wake up from it.

"I love you too."

He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers just as there was a light tap at the door and it opened to reveal Lucy's shining face. "You guys up for visitors?" she asked, softly.

Even if she wanted to, Danni wouldn't turn Lucy or any of the others away. Nodding, she beckoned the rotor and whoever else was with her to come inside their room. As she guessed, everyone had decided this was the perfect time to visit. The room was unfortunately very small, but it was private. So everyone crammed inside as best they could without trampling toes and still being able to see the newest member of their family.

"He's beautiful," Sue said as she peeked inside of the large blanket he was swaddled in.

"I think we'll keep him," Bobby teased, the room vibrating with laughter.

"What's his name?" Tara asked as she leaned against Matt. Tears were shining in her eyes as she thought about how much she wanted this very same thing and she couldn't help but smile as Matt wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"We've been thinking about that since we found out we were having a boy. Bobby, of course, wanted to name him after himself and I agreed to that on the condition that we wouldn't call him Bobby. It would just be too confusing. So, we decided to call him Robby for short."

"It's cute," Donna said from beside her husband, her fingers just itching to hold the baby.

"And Jack, you have been one of our greatest support systems. Not only have you been there for Bobby through the good, the bad, and the very ugly, but you gave me a chance when no one else would."

"Me?" he asked, clearly surprised. He didn't really know what to say. He was honored that they would name their child after him.

She nodded, tears filling her eyes. "Uh-huh. And because of that, we'd like for all of you to meet Robert Jackson Manning; Robby for short."

Little Robby was passed around the entire room the girl's going gaga over his little face, while the men chuckled at his little yawn. Danni could see the familiar gaze of proud fatherhood in D's gaze and the eagerness to have the same in both Myles's and Matt's eyes.

Jack was the only one who seemed subdued as he cradled Robby ever so gently in his arms. It almost looked like realization had just sunk in that he could have this very same thing with the woman he loved. Or that he was expecting it.

Arching an eyebrow, Danni shot a look in Sue's direction. Her cousin certainly did have that special glow about her today. She was sure there was some news that Sue and her loving husband were going to share with them. If not today, then someday soon.

"He's perfect," Lucy commented

"He must get his looks from his mother," Myles commented as he looked at the squirming little bundle now wrapped in the safety of Lucy's loving arms.

"I sure hope that's a compliment," Danni retorted with a snarky smirk.

The Bostonian chuckled a little too loud, which seemed to disturb to peacefulness of the room. Little Robby began to whimper and cry until he was handed back over to his parents.

"That's my boy," Bobby teased as he brushed his thumb over the blond little peach fuzz poking out from underneath the little nursery hat.

Leland rolled his eyes, but he still continued to smile. "Just for that, I'm not telling you my news." He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall behind him.

Looking up from the once again content package in her arms, Danni blinked at him, her eyes wide with interest. "What news?"

Myles shrugged. "Let's just say that a rather interesting piece of news reached my ears Friday when I was leaving the office."

"So, in other words, you were eavesdropping?" D asked with a chuckle.

"No, it means someone came right out and told him," Lucy rolled her eyes and slapped him on the arm. "Just tell her."

"Tell me what?" Of course, Danni wasn't so sure she wanted to know anymore.

"I received a little update about our friend, Kyle Marshall." That gained everyone's attention, even those of Donna and Matt, though they weren't quite sure why this person was so important.

Due to some tainted evidence, at least that's what the judge had called it, Marshall had gotten off from his attempted murder charge. Danni had suspected that a good bit of money had exchanged hands there, but no amount of greasy palms could prevent him for doing time for attacking her. And he had done time. A month's worth of it. And that was it.

He'd been out on the streets ever since.

Danni's face contorted in a look of disgust. That was certainly one of the last people she wanted to hear about. "Do I really want to know?"

Myles shrugged innocently. "I don't know. Do you really want to know about him trying to break his wife out of a federal prison and getting caught?" He picked at a piece of dirt under his fingernail before lifting his eyes to smile at her.


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

**Devotion**

**Chapter Twenty Five**

Bobby dozed in his seat upon the window bench, little Robby tucked into the safety of his arms, happily nursing a bottle. His head lolled back, bumping against the wall, jarring himself awake. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he glanced around the room, making sure everything was okay.

The whole house was quiet, except for the soft cooing noises his son was making as he ate. Smiling contently, he leaned his head back against the wall and stared out the window.

The moon was full tonight and the inky blackness of the sky was glittered with millions of tiny stars. It was a sight he never got to see living in the city, so when Danni had suggested moving away from the hustle and bustle of DC life, he'd been all for it.

It was nights like these that reminded him of when he was a boy and Pop would take him camping. And now, there was a whole new Manning to enjoy it just as much.

Robby's dark blue eyes drooped, but he continued to suckle at the bottle. Bobby still couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that the love he and Danni shared had created such a marvelous little creature. He had her blond hair—at least that's the way it looked from the little bit of fuzz he had on his head. He had his eyes—ones that nearly brought tears to Bobby's eyes when he looked into them. Danni had even told him that Robby had his dimples, though he had yet to see them.

He was the perfect little mix of the both of them.

This was everything he'd ever dreamed of. And most importantly, his family was happy, healthy and safe.

He hadn't been able to hide his relief at the fact that Marshall had been taken back into custody. For the past few months, he'd had this continuous fear that Kyle just might come back and finish what he'd started with Danni. Nightmares had haunted him about it ever since the day they'd found her lying on the kitchen floor, but in his dreams, she never woke up.

Even now he didn't like to think about it.

But he couldn't help but wonder why. Why would Kyle even attempt to break Kara Lynn out? Their marriage wasn't exactly the greatest with his wandering eyes… and hands, but could they actually still love each other? It was a hard concept to grasp, but then it made sense as to why she'd killed those two girls. Perhaps deep down, she still loved Kyle enough that no other woman was allowed to have him.

He shuddered at the thought.

To think someone would go so far to prove their love for someone… While he would admit he would do anything for Danni and Robby, there were still lines he knew he could never cross. And it wasn't just because he was an agent.

Sighing, he shook his head, needing to think about other things. Better things. And one of those things was sleeping peacefully in his arms. Ever so gently, he pulled at the bottle, Robby's tight hold easing in slumber, and set it aside. Lifting the infant to his shoulder, he rubbed at his back and was greeted with a healthy burp.

The creaking of a floorboard in the hall caught his attention right before the door slowly opened, revealing the object of his previous thoughts. He had to admit, motherhood looked good on Danni. She was forever smiling even when she was running on only an hour of sleep.

"Why didn't you wake me? I would have gotten him," she said, ruffling her hair and yawning loudly.

Getting up from his spot on the bench, he shrugged. "You were tired, so I thought we could use a little boy's only time."

She smiled at that. Bobby was already a great father and she wanted to cry with tears of happiness for it. "Considering everyone else had practically held him hostage today, I can understand why." The team had thrown Robby a little welcome home party with streamers and balloons, a cake and way too many presents. It warmed her heart to know that their friends cared so much about their newest arrival to shower him with love and affection. The gifts hadn't hurt either.

"Yeah, but it was worth it to see Myles get spit up on."

Leaning against the crib, Danni tried not to laugh. "I have to admit, he handled it better than I thought he would."

"Well, he's going to have to get used to it when he and Lucy finally decide to have kids and join the rest of us."

She smiled in agreement as she reached up and stroked the silky hairs gracing Robby's otherwise bald head. She was still amazed, though not surprised, that Jack and Sue were the next to join the parenthood club. Of course, she had the feeling that Tara and Matt just might beat out Myles and Lucy for the next position in line. If she recognized the look in his eyes, and she liked to think she did, it wouldn't be long before those two would be heading for the altar and have a brood of their own not long after that.

"Did you ever imagine when you met me that we'd be married and have a son together by now?"

He shook his head. "Nah. After we met, the only thing I could think about was the way your tush looked when you were on your bike." He couldn't tell whether she was laughing or not as she just stood there and shook her head at him. To smooth things over, he reached over with his free hand and gave her rump a soft caress. "Of course, all I can think about now is the way your tush looks in those pants." He winked at her and she just continued to shake her head.

She couldn't think of anything to say when he got like this. All she knew was that there were times when she didn't think she could love him any more than she already did, but when he said those things and looked at her like he was at that very moment, and she found herself falling even deeper in love with him. But there were other things as well.

When they got married, they'd had the words 'Hopelessly Devoted' inscribed on their wedding rings and it took her almost two whole years to realize that they weren't just words. Bobby was devoted to her in every possible way. He'd proved that time and time again, but no more so this past year with her pregnancy and then the case with Kyle and Kara Lynn.

She just hoped that in the years to come, she could prove she was just as devoted to him.

Reaching up, she cupped his cheek, rubbing at the laugh lines that were very visible on his tired face. "I love you, Bobby."

He smiled down at her and turned into her palm, placing a kiss on it. "I love you, too," he whispered as she stood up on her tiptoes and placed a gentle kiss to his lips. He wrapped his arms around her, holding close the two most precious things in his life.

The End

_**Author's Note:** Thank you for reading Bobby and Danni's latest journey. I have the plans to write another installment, but I'm unsure when that will be. Keep an eye out for it, though. Thanks again!_


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